A Special Friend
by Marina3
Summary: The Roswell gang have been friends with this girl for a year now and she knows their secret. She also has a secrets that she soon reveals and change their lives.Read, this is my first Roswell fic! be kind! and Review!!!
1. Our Friend

Author:Marina  
  
Disclaimer:I don't own any of the characters except for Leona, got it? Cool.  
  
Rating:PG-13  
  
Category:Drama/Action  
  
Author's note: This is going to be a long story since it's my first and since I have more stories to write, I think I'm going to need your encouragement to keep on writing this story, so..Review, please!   
  
A Special Friend  
  
"Dead! She can't be dead! She's a goddess! She's powerful! She...," Liz's mind screamed. She started to cry. Max went up to her and held her in his arms. He was crying too. Michael stared at the wall; lost in his own world. Kyle and Tess were sitting together and Tess was with her head rested in Kyle's shoulder, crying. It was painful enough to know her secret, which was her ticket to her death. Sean was trying to calm Maria down. She was hysterical and she couldn't bear to lose another friend when 1 year ago she had lost Alex. The true fact: SHE IS DEAD!  
  
"What did you do with..." Liz broke off. She couldn't get the word out. It was painful to admit that she was dead, that now she was just a body, that her soul has gone forever.  
  
" We buried her next to Nasedo. He was her family." replied Max.  
  
Liz nodded and pulled herself away from his arms. She looked into his eyes; they were red from the crying. Nobody could bear the thought that she was definitely dead, but what hurt most was that they killed her. What of that? The Royal Four killed her best friend, their protector, as they wanted to call her.  
  
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Now, after 6 years, they hadn't gotten over her death. They had graduated from college, except Max who was still at Harvard. He had married Liz, who was pregnant with their first child: a girl. They both lived in Boston. While Max studied Medicine, Liz was staying home on maternity leave from her job as a High School Science teacher.  
  
Michael and Maria were just married and weren't thinking of having children yet. Maria fulfilled her singing career and Michael joined the Marines before getting married, living in San Francisco. Tess and Kyle were engaged. They live in Washington, D.C. Kyle became an FBI agent. Even though none of the gang liked it, he said that he'd do what Leona did all through her life on earth: keep the FBI off their backs. Tess worked as Maria's agent. Maria said she would have never thought of hiring Tess as her agent if Tess hadn't gotten her as Billboard's first. Isabel pursued her career as a lawyer. At first, she entered a pageant, The Miss United States pageant, which she won. After her year as Miss United States, she went to Santa Fe University where she met her beau, Andrew Garrison, who also wanted to become a lawyer.  
  
Neither of them came back to Roswell...well, except for one day, the anniversary of Leona's death, the day they all thought about the big ifs, what would have happened if...? Nobody knew the answers to their questions. They were sure that they didn't want to find out. They just lived with their grief bottled up inside, wondering if their hearts would ever let go.  
  
******************************************************************************************  
  
6 YEARS AGO...  
  
Liz was running down the street on her way to the Crashdown Cafe. As she opened the door violently, her friends Isabel, Leona, Maria, and Tess, who were sitting in their favorite booth, turned as they heard the door being swung open by their friend. The cafe was deserted already and it was only 7 at night. Liz stood beside them and even though she had been running, she was still jumping with excitement.  
  
" You guys!! I have very, very good news!!!" she said breathlessly.  
  
Then Leona, a girl they met a year ago, said, jumping out of her chair:  
  
"Backstreet Boys are coming and you already have the tickets for their concert!!"  
  
The girls looked at her as if saying "shut up Leona!" Then Leona looked at her friends and said, shrugging,  
  
"What?! I was just kidding!!"  
  
Leona was new in Roswell. When they met her, they thought she had come from Mexico and didn't speak English. In fact, her family came from Mexico, but she was born in the U.S. With that golden skin, silky, shiny, black hair, and beautiful dark eyes, she seemed like a Mexican goddess and Kyle felt very lucky to have her as his girlfriend.  
  
Tess, who was sitting besides her, pulled Leona's arm to sit her down saying:  
  
"Sit down and let the woman talk!"  
  
Maria giggled and Isabel turned her head over to Liz and said:  
  
"So, what's the good news?" Liz then smiled and said,  
  
"I got accepted in Stanford!"  
  
The girls squealed as they jumped out of their chairs. Maria hugged her friend while Isabel waited for her turn. But when Isabel hugged her, Tess and Leona could hardly wait for turns so they all joined in a group hug.  
  
"You guys, stop it!" said Liz as Maria laughed with the scene. "You're suffocating me!"  
  
As the girls let go of her, Leona said:  
  
"You see? I told you that if you believed in yourself, sooner or later you'd get what you want." Liz nodded. "I think I got that pretty clear now," she said smiling. Then Tess spoke, "I am so happy for you!!" "Thank you!" said Liz.  
  
Liz was happy to have Tess as her friend. It was difficult, but they made it and Leona had had a lot to do with that. She helped them become very close. The same happened with Isabel and Maria. They didn't even talk to each other and now they couldn't stop talking. They even go shopping together while Liz and Tess stay home to study. Max befriended Kyle. They found they had a lot in common. As for Michael, he opened up more with both of them even though the alien stuff is always in the middle. They would get together at The Crashdown and talk the "guy talk" without having to mention extraterrestrial life or girls.  
  
Now, the five girls share everything, even the alien stuff. There are no secrets now except one. Leona had something she didn't want to share, and the girls respected that, but it worried them.  
  
Leona wasn't very secretive when they met her. A year ago, a month after Alex died, she had come from Philadelphia. Her parents are FBI agents. Her name is Leona Johnson. Tess was the first one who befriended her. When she found out that her parents worked for the Bureau, she thought her whole family were "alien hunters." Well, can you blame her? However, there was something that made all the gang come around her. She was like a magnet. She had a special, mysterious charm. Leona felt so alone at first because she had just moved. Her family moving was like a routine in their lives, they were FBI. Sometimes they had to move for protection, new cases, and she didn't like that. Even tough she was a cheerleader and a popular girl, she was modest.  
  
Soon, Michael befriended her and got closer to her. He felt that she understood him. She knew how painful it was to get close to someone and at the end they had to let go.  
  
It was Michael who made them understand that she wasn't dangerous. At first, he asked them to give her a chance but Max refused. He was always reminding Michael about her parents. Max also reminded him that her parents weren't the only danger. Leona was about to become one more. That is, because she was being trained to be an agent of the FBI. One night, she came to The Crashdown cafe. Michael saw her first and smiled at her.  
  
"Hey!" He said.  
  
"Oh, hi!" Leona replied.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, you talk a lot about this place and I thought I'd give it a chance." then she looked around and she saw that the place was almost deserted and that it was so far from closing time.  
  
"You made the right choice." he said smiling, then he turned to his friends and said to her without looking at her, "do you want to meet my friends?"  
  
Max overheard him and gave him a look that made her understand that she wasn't wanted there. "Maybe some other time. Right now, I'm going to another booth to eat something. I'm starving!" she said whispering.  
  
"C'mon, it won't hurt a bit to meet them." said Michael pulling her to their booth.  
  
"Michael, no, I mean..." she broke off as she got closer to the booth.  
  
"Hey, you guys, this is Leona. Leona, these are Max, Isabel, Maria, Kyle, Tess, and Liz." Kyle said politely, "Hi! It's...nice to...meet...you." As Kyle saw Leona, her beauty mesmerized him and he couldn't help but stare at her in awe.  
  
Michael looked at him as if to say "Thanks," Kyle just smiled.  
  
"Well, it's sure nice to meet you." she replied nervously.  
  
"So, I hear you're from Philadelphia?" asked Max.  
  
Leona looked at him and then smiled. That caught Max off guard. That smile had done it...for good.  
  
"Yes. I was born in New York, tough." she said. Ah! The memories New York brings; not good ones, that's for sure. Maria joined him in the talk.  
  
"People say you've traveled around the world. Is that true? I mean, have you been to Paris?" said Maria, trying to seem excited. She failed.  
  
"Well, is true and yes, I have been to Paris. The reason is that my parents...um...are FBI agents." They all looked at each other. They knew that she was being sincere. If she wanted to get them, she would never tell them that her family worked for the Bureau. "Just don't tell anybody." then she whispered, "It's supposed to be confidential." she winked at them.  
  
"I just have to ask you," replied Liz "are you going to sit down and order something, or do you just want to stand there and get even more hungry?"  
  
"Oh, I just thought it was closing time," she said looking around.  
  
"No, sometimes when my parents are out of town, I get to be in charge of the place and I get to close it early."  
  
"Oh"  
  
Then Isabel just stood up and said, "Be our guest!" They invited her to sit with them. Michael said that everything she ordered was on him. Maria rolled her eyes thinking *Go figures*  
  
"I'm warning you, Guerin, I am so hungry I could probably eat a cow. It can get very expensive!"  
  
" In that case, I think I just changed my mind!" he said laughing.  
  
Leona slapped him in the arm. "You're being mean, Mike."  
  
When she called him Mike they looked at him and Max said,  
  
" Mike?"  
  
" Mike is short for Michael." Michael said looking down.  
  
" Wow, Mike!" said Maria, sarcastically, "I have never heard a name that sexy!"  
  
They laughed except Leona. She felt a little embarrassed because his secret name was out. Michael tried to make her feel better by telling Maria,  
  
"You think so? Tsk, too bad that Leona is the only one who can call me that!"  
  
Maria's jaw dropped. Nobody could even believe it, but well, that's Michael, all right.  
  
"So," said Kyle trying to break the ice, "what can you tell us about you?"  
  
After that, they started a pleasant talk, and for the first time in their lives, they talked...a lot: the one thing they didn't do with just anybody. They became close to her and she was the kind of friend that was always there for them, no matter what. She was special. A couple of months later, Kivar kidnapped her. They never knew what had happened to her that night, but she hadn't been the same since. Of course, they thought that it might be because she knew their secret, but they saw that it was beyond that. They knew that there was something, something that became personal to her, but when they asked her about it, she just said, "I don't want to talk about it. Please, stop asking." She was still charming, cheerful, with a great sense of humor. She was Leona, always, but there was one thing that she didn't share with just anybody but her own shadow.  
  
******************************************************************************************  
  
" Is anybody hungry?" Asked Tess, "because I'm starving!"  
  
" I'm not that hungry, but I could use something." replied Isabel  
  
"Then let's get something to eat," said Maria. That said, Tess, Maria and Isabel went to the kitchen.  
  
"While you're at it," yelled Leona from the booth, "could you guys be kind enough to make me a sandwich?"  
  
"Come make it yourself!" replied Maria and then giggled.  
  
"You're mean!" yelled Leona, turning to where the other two girls were. When she turned back, she saw Liz deep in her thoughts. She interrupted her by saying,  
  
"Can you imagine what Max is going to say when he learns that you're going to Stanford?"  
  
"Leona, what Max thinks or says is the last thing I'm worried about and I'm not worried at all. I was just thinking about my life away from Roswell and what it would be like." then she sighed, "I don't care about what he'll say."  
  
" News flash, Liz, that is getting really old and I have always known that what you just said is not true!"  
  
Liz knew that she was right. Sometimes she hated it when she was right about Max. Leona knew her too well. No matter how much Liz said she didn't care, it was a complete lie, a lie that hurt so much.  
  
"You know? I shouldn't care but I can't help it." replied Liz.  
  
"It's ok, as long as you don't lose your mind!" said Leona smiling.  
  
They kept talking for a while. Leona was still surprised at how much Liz still loved Max and how much this "destiny" thing had affected her. Leona knew about the future Max and what he asked her to do. In fact, after that, she admired her. She knew that it was too much for Liz to handle on her own. It was the biggest and hardest job. Not even Max could probably handle. But Liz did it for love. That was the biggest sacrifice she had to do and Leona just thought that Liz was a woman to be remembered. The girls were still in the kitchen laughing and yelling. It seemed hard for them to talk. Too much noise.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened. Liz turned around to see who it was. It was Max with the rest of the guys. Kyle smiled at Leona and passed by Max and quickly sat besides Leona.  
  
"Hi!" he said with a grin.  
  
"Hi! How's it going?" then Leona leaned closer to kiss him. Kyle kissed her back deeper.  
  
"Ahem... Is it closed already?" asked Max, looking around and trying to make them break off their kiss.  
  
" No, still open. " Leona replied smiling, still not getting off of Kyle.  
  
Then, the other girls got out of the kitchen. Maria seemed like she was attacked. She had ketchup all over her shirt. Isabel was still laughing and Tess just had a plate with piece of chocolate cake and a bottle of Tabasco in hand. Kyle broke the kiss and turned to look at them.  
  
"What happened to you?" Kyle asked Maria, pointing at his shirt trying to tell Maria about the ketchup in her shirt.  
  
"Oh, that? We just had a war in the kitchen!" replied Maria  
  
" If the war camp's still there, you're cleaning it!" said Liz.  
  
Max took his seat besides Kyle. Isabel started to play with them by pushing them toward Leona using her powers as well, then they all yelled in unison,  
  
" Whoa!"  
  
Leona yelled,  
  
"Isabel, stop!" then she laughed "you're going to make a tortilla out of me or what?"  
  
" Yes, and Max and Kyle are the stuffing!" Maria said playfully.  
  
"ISABEL!!" said Kyle, "Evans! Do something! Tickle her or whatever. Just make her stop!"  
  
"Believe me, Valenti!!! I'm trying!" he yelled.  
  
"Don't even dare, mister," Said Isabel, pointing a finger at Kyle when he tried to do something, and Isabel started to push even harder.  
  
"Whoa!" yelled Max, "Isabel, stop right now! That's an order!" Now everybody was laughing at them. Those little plays of Isabel were fun for them...only if they weren't the ones who suffered from it. Then Kyle yelled trying to reach Isabel`s arm,  
  
"Isabel, I'm asking my dad for a restraining order!"  
  
"You guys?! THERE'S PAIN HAPPENING HERE!!" yelled Leona, whose face was now red from the compression.  
  
"Do you still want to ask your dad for that restraining order?" asked Isabel looking at Kyle.  
  
"He was just kidding!! Now let go of us, PLEASE!!" said a screaming Max.  
  
"The hell I was!!!" yelled Kyle.  
  
"Should we let go of them?" she said turning to Maria.  
  
"ISABEL!" they yelled.  
  
"I think so. The poor girl over there can barely breath." replied Maria.  
  
"At the count of three," Isabel said.  
  
"You got it!" she said  
  
"Isabel, no time for counting!!" said Max.  
  
"OK!" and they let go of them.  
  
Kyle looked at Isabel as if he was ready to kill her. Max and Leona were just happy that now they could catch their breath. As for everybody else, they were laughing, still.  
  
Leona felt dizzy and started to have a headache. Max looked at her and asked,  
  
"Are you ok?" Leona nodded.  
  
" Now you see what you did?" Said Kyle looking at Izzy. She widened her eyes in worry.  
  
"It's nothing really." replied Leona. She smiled to make her statement believable.  
  
"Hey!" called Tess, "no secrets, you promised!"  
  
"Well, a headache is not much of a secret, is it?" she said grinning.  
  
"Do you want me to get you something?" asked Liz. Leona noticed that Liz wanted to get out of there, trying to avoid Max. Max seemed to be trying to avoid her, too. He hadn't looked at her since he got there.  
  
"No, I'm fine. If I ever need something, Michael would get it for me, wouldn't you?" she said looking at Michael. Michael looked at her for a while, then he replied,  
  
" Slavery is way long gone, my friend. So, if you need something, go get it yourself!"  
  
"That's my Michael, all right!" Maria said. Then everybody started laughing.  
  
"Maria, you're spoiling the poor guy with your manners." said Kyle.  
  
"Excuse me?" she said, "are you talking about me?" The session just started. Everybody joking, making fun of each other, talking about how much they hated Algebra class, how boring Mr. Benson's class was getting, their plans for the weekend, college. Liz was glad that nobody did ask about her getting in Stanford. Too many questions would be on sight and she just didn't want to talk about it. Suddenly, Leona started to get dizzy again. At first, nobody noticed, but then she got a flash after that. She saw Max bleeding, pale, dead.  
  
Then she gasped. Tess looked at her, worried.  
  
"Are you ok?" asked Tess. Everybody just looked at her. She was trembling.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Michael. She didn't answer. She seemed so afraid. She knew where the flash was coming from and she knew what it meant.  
  
"Leona?" called Liz.  
  
"Honey, are you ok?" asked Kyle, getting really worried and he touched her cheek.  
  
"Uh?" She realized that everybody was looking at her and then she smiled, but she was sure that she wasn't that believable. Michael felt something that, he knew, was coming from her. It wasn't something new. Michael had felt what she felt since he met her. Hhe didn't know how. He didn't know why. Nnobody did. He just knew it made him special. It was helpful to him the night Kivar kidnapped her, Thanks to that connection, they were able to find her. Maria was obviously jealous of that connection they shared, but she understood the way he felt about that connection. Anyway, he didn't think of it as a romantic affection, but as a brotherly affection.  
  
"Why are you so afraid?" asked Michael.  
  
Leona looked at him in the eyes as if telling him that she didn't want to talk about it. Then he knew what it was. Leona then turned her head away from his eyes and said,  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Twenty minutes till 10 pm" replied Liz.  
  
"I have to go home. I need to finish up some things that I have to do." Leona said.  
  
"I'll give you a ride." said Kyle standing up. Max sat there, not letting them go.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you what's wrong, and I don't know why you don't want to talk about it!" said Max as Michael was standing up. He wasn't ready to let her go until he knew what was wrong.  
  
"I just don't feel like it." replied Leona, "I'm just not feeling well."  
  
"Whatever happened to that promise you made to us?" he asked.  
  
"Max..." she said exasperated.  
  
"A promise is a promise, Leona!" Max replied, turning his body to face her.  
  
"Max don't push it!" Leona said exasperated because Max was sitting besides her, blocking the way for her to get out of the booth.  
  
"Ok, I've been meaning to ask you Max, why don't you just leave it alone for a while? And why am I always between you guys!?"  
  
And now everybody was talking at the same time.  
  
"Guys!" yelled Isabel, "GUYS!!" she yelled again and everybody stopped, "If Leona doesn't want to talk about it, leave her alone!"  
  
"Thank you!" said Leona.  
  
"When you're ready to talk about it, give us a call because you are so telling us!" said Izzy looking at her.  
  
"It seems as if she will never be." said Kyle, looking away. Leona stared at him as if she felt hurt by his words.  
  
"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, Kyle." she said.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I am also confused as to why you keep this secret!" he replied.  
  
"Leona," Liz spoke, "I don't know how we're supposed to help you if you don't tell us what's bothering you."  
  
"Right now, the only thing I need is to go home, not help." replied Leona.  
  
Everybody stared at her. Suddenly the phone rang. Liz went to pick it up and turned to Kyle.  
  
"Kyle, it's your dad. He says that if you don't get your ass down there in less that 15, you will be sorry!" she said.  
  
"He really said that?" he asked.  
  
"Well, no, I softened the part of you will be sorry because it sounded nasty coming from the sheriff, but most of it was true." she replied.  
  
"Looks like you're on your own kiddo" says Kyle looking at Leona. She just nodded.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow at school." he said, and leaned down to give her a quick kiss.  
  
"Yeah, bye." she said faintly smiling. As he picked up his jacket, he turned and said,  
  
"Please, you guys, don't be so hard on her." and picked his car keys and got out. The silence was unbearable for her so she broke the silence,  
  
"Ok, you guys, you wanna know what's wrong? You really wanna know what's wrong?" she asked in a tone of voice that made them realize that she was angry enough to storm out of there and stop talking to them for a week.  
  
"YES!!" Her friends replied in unison ignoring the signs.  
  
"Ok , I'll tell you what's wrong ..." she broke off as she heard her cell phone ring. The faces of her friends, who were hopeful, were now faces of disgust and anger. Max wanted to take the thing away and crush it. Their faces turned to worry when Leona dropped the cell phone. Her face turned to shock and her eyes were moist with the tears that struggled to get out. Finally, she gave in to her tears and closed her eyes as the tears trickled down her cheeks.  
  
"Leona?" questioned Liz.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Michael. Leona seemed to be lost in her thoughts, staring at the wall, with nothing to say. Max took her by her shoulders until Leona whispered,  
  
"Oh my God!" Then she turned to look at Max deep into his eyes. Max could've sworn that those were the saddest eyes he ever saw. Suddenly, she spoke,  
  
"Max, I need a ride!"  
  
Max just nodded and took the keys of his jeep without asking any more. By the looks of it, something was really wrong. He didn't dare to ask on the way to Leona`s house, but he saw her so sad that the curiosity won him over and as he opened his mouth to ask, she simply said,  
  
"My brother was found dead."  
  
"Oh, my God! Leona, I'm so sorry!" he replied.  
  
"Don't be. Be sorry for the asshole who killed him. There'll be hell to pay for what he did to my brother!" she said in a tone filled with rage.  
  
"I know you're upset, but..."  
  
"I'm more than upset, Max!!" interrupted Leona, "I'm angry, I'm hurt, I'm confused, I'm... I..." she couldn't find the words to express her feelings. She felt out of breath. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. When they arrived at her house, she just got out of the car without saying good bye. Her parents were waiting for her outside. Leona ran to them and hugged them, crying. Mr. Johnson saw Max in the jeep and approached him.  
  
"Thank you for bringing her home." he said in a crackled voice and with tears in his eyes.  
  
"Anytime, Mr. Johnson." replied Max. And the man just smiled weakly and lowered his head.  
  
"I'm sorry about your son, Mr. Johnson." Max said. The man jerked his head up with a questioning look.  
  
"Leona told me a little about it."  
  
" Oh." Mr. Johnson replied.  
  
Max saw a figure moving towards them. It was Leona. He got out of the car. Leona looked at Max then at her father, She approached him and said something in a low voice. He nodded and left them alone.  
  
`Thanks for the ride." she said to Max.  
  
"Do you need anything else?" asked Max, almost hoping that she would ask him to hold her in his arms...`what am are you thinking? she's your friend...' He shook his head to get the thought out of his mind.  
  
"No, I'm fine."  
  
"What happened to your brother?"  
  
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now, I just need to be alone with my parents."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Good night Max."  
  
"Good night, Leona." What caught Max by surprise was that Leona hugged him and broke down crying. Max hugged her back and held her for a while without saying a word. Then, she let go of him, looking down. Max had her by her arms, then took her face in his hands.  
  
"What ever you need, just call me, ok?" he said.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." she smiled, even tough he knew that it wasn't a real smile.  
  
"Sure, any time." He let go of her, "Take care." and he turned away.  
  
"Bye." she replied as she saw him get in the car and start it.  
  
"Bye." he said almost hating himself for leaving her in that state, `but she needs time alone with her parents, not you,' he thought as he drove off on his way to The Crashdown. He knew his friends were there, waiting for him to tell them the details. As he was driving, he thought a lot about Leona and didn't even stop himself. 


	2. Death and betrayal

PART# 2  
  
Michael was tapping his hands on the table. Tess was pacing from one place to another while the rest of the gang tried to do something else. It was useless. Maria got so frustrated with Michael's tapping, she said loudly,  
  
"Ok, stop that!! You're driving me crazy!!"  
  
"I'm sorry but I can't help it!" Michael yelled back.  
  
"Don't you dare yell at me, Michael Guerin!!!"  
  
"Oh. and you can yell at me?!"  
  
"Yes, I..."  
  
"STOP!!" yelled Liz interrupting them. Maria looked at her with a suprised look on her face.  
  
"I know you're worried! I'm worried, too! But yelling isn't the best way to handle this!"  
  
"Do you have any ideas?" said Michael sarcastically.  
  
"Michael! Chill out, will you?" said Isabel.  
  
"Max is here!" Tess screamed. Everybody turned to the door to see Max coming in.  
  
Everybody just froze in their place waiting for Max to say something. He finally spoke,  
  
"She's...she's really upset and I...I didn't get the chance to talk to her...much."  
  
"Ok, just tell us what you know!" said Tess, grabbing Max's hands in plea.  
  
Max drew a deep breath. Michael seemed so desperate and anxious to know what had happened.  
  
"So..."  
  
"Her brother died." Max replied. Everybody stood there...shocked, but they were more shocked at the fact that Leona didn't tell them that she had a brother.  
  
"My God! I didn't know!" said Isabel.  
  
"Well, what really surprises me is that she has...I mean...had a brother!" commented Isabel.  
  
"I know!" replied Liz, "why would she not tell us about him?"  
  
"Ok, I thought the important thing here was what happened to Leona!" said Michael, "instead of asking why she didn't tell us about him!"  
  
"Well, we're just saying, Michael." said Liz.  
  
"Well, save it!" he replied, almost angry.  
  
"Michael!" yelled Isabel again.  
  
"What?" he said turning to Isabel.  
  
"Michael, we're all worried, but she also said that she would tell us more when she gets the chance!" said Max. When he saw that the words calmed him down, Max spoke again,  
  
"Now, we all need to go home and get some rest, we need it!"  
  
"I don't think I can sleep right now, Maxwell! Not after knowing what Leona is going through right now!" said Michael.  
  
"Well, we have to if we don't want our butts kicked by the queen of Kung Fu!" said Tess smiling, referring to Leona's ability to fight. Now, everybody laughed at her statement.  
  
Michael apologized to Maria and offered a ride home, which she accepted. Isabel just said that she'd go with Tess. At first, Max protested, but he was defeated by his sister and that left Liz and Max alone.  
  
The silence was awkward for them until Max spoke,  
  
"Hey, do you still have that apple pie you made yesterday?"  
  
`Yeah, why?" replied Liz.  
  
"I want to take some to my mom, that's all."  
  
"Oh, sure!"  
  
It went all silent again. Liz went to the kitchen and came back with a whole pie.  
  
"I said that I just wanted some." said Max after watching her wrap the whole pie.  
  
"Oh, it's alright. I don't think anybody's going to eat it anyway."  
  
"Maria could. She said that she loved it."  
  
"Well, she lost her chance." she giggled. Max smiled when she giggled. It brought back memories.  
  
"So," spoke Max, "Have you received any letters form any college?"  
  
`Oh, God! why now!!' she thought, and waited a little to respond.  
  
"Well?" Said Max waiting.  
  
"Um...yeah...and I made my decision."  
  
Max felt his heart stop when he waited for her answer. `Something tells me that I don't want to know,' he thought.  
  
"I'm going to Stanford." she replied.  
  
Both of them fell silent...not knowing what to say...not wanting to spoil the moment, but both of them knew that they had to say something. Max was the first one to speak.  
  
"That's ...um...that's great! Con...congratulations!"  
  
"Thanks." she replied, not sure if that's what she expected to hear.  
  
"I'm going to Harvard." said Max.  
  
"Wow! Well, I guess we know who won: you!"  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"I mean. I'm going to Stanford and you're going to Harvard, and Harvard is like..." she said moving her hands through the air.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I didn't expect that, but I guess I made it." said Max smiling.  
  
"I always knew you could do anything." she said. Max looked at her not knowing what to think.  
  
"That's why I always admired you."  
  
Max looked into her eyes, asking himself what to expect of this. He still loved her, but he wasn't sure how much. He didn't think there was hope for them, but something in her eyes just told him to believe in her...to wait for her, and he wasn't sure how to do that, either.  
  
"Thank you." he replied. Liz looked at the clock and then at Max.  
  
"You better go home. It`s getting late."  
  
"Yeah, well, thanks for the pie."  
  
"Sure," she said smiling. Max got up from his chair, taking the pie in his hand.  
  
`Max?" called Liz.  
  
"Yeah?" he replied turning around. Liz hesitated.  
  
"Say hi to your mom for me."  
  
`Ok, I will." He turned away, heading outside to his car. Liz just stood there, disappointed in herself because she didn't say to Max what she needed to say. She let the tears fall down her cheeks, thinking that once again she had lost her chance.  
  
Leona was lying down in her bed, crying. Her parents entered the room and Leona got up while she wiped the tears away.  
  
"Honey, we have to tell you something," said Mrs. Johnson.  
  
Leona looked at her mother with confusion. `What could possibly be there?' She hoped that it wasn't bad news.  
  
"We found out who killed Pierce!" said Mr. Johnson, "and believe me, I can't believe they did it! I mean, how could they?"  
  
"They? Dad, what are you talking about?" said Leona even more confused.  
  
"We've been loyal to them! And this is how they pay us?"  
  
"Dad! Mom, what is he talking about??!" she said almost desperate, and pleading with her eyes to her father so he doesn't tell her what she's thinking about.  
  
"The Royal Four! That's what I'm talking about!" said Mr. Johnson almost screaming. Leona was shocked. She couldn't believe what her father was trying to imply.  
  
"The Royal Four killed our son!"  
  
"How do you know?" said Leona, "What makes you think they did it?"  
  
"Our people did witnessed it!" replied Mrs. Johnson, as she saw her husband pacing from one side of the room to the other.  
  
"I, for one, won't let them get away with it. I'll make sure they pay for their crime, even if it's the last thing I do in my life!" Now Mr. Johnson was filled with anger. Leona could see the rage in his eyes. But she was lost. How could the Royal Four kill someone who tried to help them escape from the government?  
  
"David," said Mrs. Johnson seeing the shocked face of her daughter, "you need to calm down so we can explain everything to her!"  
  
"Please ...do!" she said in her coolest voice. She didn't want to cry, not unless she finds out the truth.  
  
Mrs. Johnson sat down with her daughter and started,  
  
"Remember when Derek changed his name to Pierce?" her mother said, "Well, when he was at the Special Unit, he tracked down the Royal Four so we could get a hold of them and at the same time he worked in a case that probably involved them as murderers. They killed their victims leaving their silver handprint on the bodies.. Later, he was told to come to Roswell, where the murders were taking place. Finally, he found them, and even if he tried to make them see that he was there to help, they didn't listen to him and one night..."she suddenly stopped then she went on, but not for long, "they set up a meeting with him when..."now, she completely stopped and started to cry. It was clear for Leona that she couldn't go on. Mr. Johnson kneeled down to hug his wife and Leona spoke to finish her sentence,  
  
"When they killed him!" She said it without believing what she has just said. She felt that something was wrong and whatever it was, it was something big.  
  
"How long has he been dead?" Leona asked without looking at them.  
  
"3 years and a half!" said Mr. Johnson. Leona was lost in her thoughts. She had too many questions, and not one of her answers seemed to make sense. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She knew them too well, or that's what she thought, but the truth was out there and she was determined to find out .  
  
"I'm going to give them a chance to come clean." Leona said, looking at her mother and then at her father, who were now looking at her in surprise. They knew that she was up to something and they grew confused.  
  
"To come clean?" replied Mr. Johnson.  
  
"Yes, I am going to talk to them about Pierce. If they tell me truth, I'll get to know what really happened!" Leona seemed so sure of herself at that time that they almost believed that it was going to work.  
  
"But, they think you're human." commented Mrs. Johnson, "How could they possibly tell a human about that? Unless..."  
  
"No, I haven't told them anything about my background. I was about to do it tonight because they kept bugging me about a promise I made to them."  
  
"Then...?" replied Mr. Johnson.  
  
"They'll get nervous and they'll spill. If they don't tell me anything, I will use something else."  
  
"But you think they are going to say anything? You just told that boy, Max Evans, about your brother!" said Mr. Johnson trying to make his point, "They won't tell you because you practically are Pierce's sister!"  
  
"They won't trust you anymore." recalled Mrs. Johnson.  
  
Leona didn't seem to listen to them. It seemed as if she already had a plan.  
  
"I'd rather have you punishing them for their crimes than giving them the chance they don't deserve!" said Mr, Johnson, who now seemed to be resentful for what she was doing. "You're a goddess. For Pierce...for us...they deserve to be punished!"  
  
Leona looked at him as if she couldn't believe what he said, then hardened her face and spoke,  
  
"I'm here, and fortunately, alive to protect the Royal Four and to lead them through this war, not to punish them. The last time I did that, it all went to hell. The war started and our people were killed and enslaved. Even if they cried and prayed for help and salvation, the gods couldn't do anything because it was done, mostly by the curse I put upon them, and the unexcused rage between my father and the King Father. I'm here to make sure they go home alive and stop the war."  
  
"Leona, even when you brought them back to life and gave them the gifts of the gods, The Royal Four turned out to be the way they were in their past lives...using their gifts for evil!" replied Mr. Johnson with exasperation "What makes you think Max Evans is any different from Zan, or Isabel from Vilandra? They both have the same DNA! They're clones!!"  
  
"True enough," said Leona, "But the Roswell Royal Four have a huge difference from the New York Royal Four. The firsts are more human than the seconds. The human DNA softened Max's heart."  
  
"Well, I didn't know our King had a heart, if he ever had..."  
  
"Dad, please...stop!!" pleaded Leona. He stopped talking, but the silence was unbearable for Mrs. Johnson. She broke the silence by saying,  
  
"Why don't we get some rest? We really need it."  
  
"I don't think I can sleep, but I think we better let Leona sleep. She needs it more than we do."  
  
he replied. Leona had her head down trying not to cry.  
  
"Good night, honey." said her mother, and just when they were about to head toward the door, she called them,  
  
"Wait, I...uh..." they stopped and turned around. "I'm so sorry. Mom, dad, the Royal Four...they will get what they deserve, but right now there are so many questions and I need them answered. Please, understand that I'm just trying to do my job."  
  
"Honey, we understand but it's just that..." he replied sighing, "we don't always agree with your plans or getting too close to them because sooner or later, they'll probably hurt you."  
  
"I'd like to see them try!" she said sarcastically, "Besides, I know they won't hurt me."  
  
"I trust you." he said looking at his wife and then stretching his hand out to her, "We trust you."  
  
"We must not forget that we can't risk losing them. With the gifts of the gods, they will make my father surrender. He might feel powerful and dangerous, but he doesn't know that he has a bigger match that can take him out. We practically need them."  
  
"Plus the Messiah..." commented Mrs. Johnson. Leona sighed. She didn't have any idea where to find the Messiah. The gods just told her that the chosen one would be the human that was brought back to life by the king.  
  
Leona looked at the people that were in front of her. She smiled at them and they both asked in confusion,  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just realized that I wouldn't know what I would do without you."  
  
"Oh, honey!" replied her mother, hugging her.  
  
"I know things would have been different if you were my real parents." she said in the arms of her mother/aunt.  
  
"There's nothing else we would like more than that, but your mother was a wonderful woman. I'm glad I had her as my sister." replied her uncle patting Leona's head.  
  
"I never understood what your mother saw in your father anyway." said her aunt, releasing her, "He is a monster, whose place belongs in hell!"  
  
"Hear, hear!" replied Mr. Johnson.  
  
"But I can't forget that he's my father and that I have to respect him anyway. He might have done horrible things, but I can't help but love him because he gave me my half mortality and without it, I wouldn't have understood mortals like I do now."  
  
"Ok, you know what? You need to rest. Tomorrow, you start whatever big plan you have for your little friends." said her uncle yawning.  
  
`I have a plan already, and you, more than anybody, needs to rest."  
  
"Well, she's right, we better." replied her aunt who was now heading towards the door, "Good night, sweetie!"  
  
"Night." she replied, as the couple closed the door behind them. As it closed, she started to cry. She fell to her knees covering her face with her hands and she began to sob uncontrollably.  
  
The pain she could take, but the betrayal...that was what wounded her most...the secrets they kept from her, secrets of which they were ashamed but she didn't even know that.  
  
She wondered every night: `Why? Why couldn't her father just get along with the King? Why did Vilandra betray them in the first place? Why couldn't she be with the man she loved?' Every night, when there's a moon and stars, she says a prayer in her head:  
  
"Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan..." and then she drifts off to sleep. 


	3. Pierce's sister

I'll post chapter three to 6 maybe, and you're probably are wondering why since I haven't got any reviews in this story. I'll tell you: I really don't care. I'd inmensely appreciate the reviews but what am I going to do to those who doesn't? what I really care about it's that I have someone who reads them and liked it or hated it, even though they don't say so. I love to write and will keep doing so until the day I die or a meteor crash the earth, whichever comes first. So Enjoy!  
  
PART# 3  
The next morning, Leona woke up tired. Mr. Johnson suggested she stay home and call in sick, but she refused. In Liz's room, Liz could hardly get up. She was so tired from cleaning the kitchen, but she couldn't skip school. Big test today: You skip, you fail! thought Liz. She searched her closet for something to wear. She found her favorite GAP Jeans, but she couldn't decide on which shirt to wear. She then spotted a sky blue V neck shirt. At the time she touched it she wished it was black. When she got it out of the closet, she noticed that it was black instead of the sky blue color it had been when she first saw it. At first, she freaked out, but then she tried to look for a possible explanation. When she realized there wasn't any, she rushed to take a shower, got dressed and skipped breakfast.  
"Bye mom, dad!" She said to her very confused parents.  
"What happened to her?" Asked Mr. Parker  
"I don't know, but I don't remember her having that shirt before." His wife answered.  
"She probably borrowed it from Maria," her husband replied, then sipped his coffee.  
At school, Liz searched for Isabel, but she couldn't find her anywhere. She gave up when the bell rang for class to start. When she went to her first period class she was surprised to find Leona there. She thought she'd be absent because of her brother's death, but there she was. She wasn't looking too good either, but she could guess the reason. Liz approached her.  
"Hey!" said Liz, who now was sitting behind her.  
"Hey." she replied almost in a whisper. Then, both girls saw Max, Isabel and Kyle approaching them. They heard the teacher say to form groups of five and Max, Isabel, and Kyle grabbed a chair to sit with the girls.  
"Hey!" They said in unison and Leona smiled as she turned to look at them.  
"Leona, I'm really sorry about your brother." said Liz in a whisper and took her hand.  
"Why did you come to school? You're supposed to be at home until everything calms down." commented Isabel  
"Yeah, honey. You don't have to be here in a day like this. I can give you a ride home if you don`t feel well." agreed Kyle  
"Thank you, Kyle, but... It's just that I didn't want to be there grieving. I wanted to do something to keep my mind off the subject. You know, be somewhere I can control my emotions." replied Leona  
The group looked at each other not knowing what to say next until the teacher called them to pay attention. They turned around to face the teacher when suddenly Leona whispered to them:  
"I'll tell you about him at lunch; I know how curious you are." They just looked at her and Liz said:  
"I need to talk to you, Isabel." and they agreed to meet at the eraser room after lunch.  
Lunch time finally came and Max went with Leona up to her locker. The rest of the gang was waiting for them outside. As usual, Michael was very impatient. He was growing more impatient when finally he saw Leona walking towards him, but she was stopped by one of her popular friends. Michael walked over to try and take Leona away from her friend. When they were alone, Maria went up to Leona and hugged her.  
"I'm so sorry about your brother." she said and then let her go.  
"How about a group hug for her?" said Tess smiling, as she approached the two girls..  
"Works for me!" replied Kyle. Then everybody formed around her and hugged her until they heard Leona laugh.  
"Yay! We did it!" Said Maria playfully and Leona couldn't help but smile.  
"Yes! I do feel better now." said Leona. "I think we better sit down if you want to know about my brother." everyone took seats and Leona started:  
"First of all, I know that I haven't talked much about my brother, but you know that as a FBI family we have to keep things secret. It's not that I don't trust you. As a matter of fact, I do trust you, but I promised and you know how I am when I make promises." She stopped trying to not to burst to tears.  
"My brother's name was Derek. He was a FBI agent, just like my parents. He taught me everything I know about FBI, but soon he took another path. As much as my mom pleaded with him to not to go, he said he had made his decision. He joined the Special Unit. At first, it was okay to talk about him. I used to talk about how proud we were of him, how much we missed him, but it all changed when he became the head of the Special Unit. We had to keep everything secret." she didn't notice how everyone's face changed when she mentioned the Special unit. Isabel just whispered, "Oh my God!" Michael felt terrible. He looked at Max and Max looked back at him in acknowledgement.  
Leona kept talking:  
"It hurt not to mention him at all. My parents had to say that I was an only child and soon it made me feel alone. I'd see Max and Izzy and I felt even more alone and that made me miss him so much more. One night, my dad got a call from him. You should have see his face all lit up! My mother couldn't keep her pace and I was just so happy. Everyone had turns to talk to him. He told me he was here in Roswell and that he had sent me a package with something and asked me not to open it until he said so. Now that I think about it, I'll open it today after I get home. I know my parents are not going to be there so, I'll get the chance to open it alone, just the way I want." She stopped to see how shocked her friends were.  
"What?" she asked when nobody answered. "what?!"  
"Um...well..." Replied Kyle, "it's just seems so...um...X-Files?"  
"I know! You can't even begin to imagine how many of the stories are true!"  
"So...how did he die?" Asked Michael, "if you don't mind me asking."  
"That's the part you don't want to know" replied Leona  
"By the way...uh...can I ask you something?" Said Maria.  
"Honey, you just did." replied Leona smiling.  
"Very funny!" Maria said, "another question: What the hell is the Special Unit?!" She had to ask the question almost whispering. The rest of the gang looked at her not understanding what she was trying to do. Leona just looked at her in surprise.  
"Well, it's just a team that takes care of certain special cases." she said, "The agents that work there are under fake names. Let's take Kyle for example. He's an agent...agent Valenti to the FBI, but to the Special Unit he's ...um...agent Foster, for example. You can't use your real name when you work for the Special Unit. They always make up a name for you or you can choose your own." She said matter-of-factly. Now, everybody looks at each other.  
"Too weird?" asked Leona, "Well, since I'm not the only one with secrets, I can relate to you because you have things that you can't share with just anybody, right?"  
"We appreciate your confidence. And yes, you're right, it's weird!" replied Tess, "Being alien is not easy. You can't trust anyone. But, we're glad we found someone we can trust with our secrets, even if they're weird!"  
"Too weird, if you ask me!" commented Maria.  
"Um..." Liz then cleared her throat, "Can I ask what name your brother had when he was in the Special Unit?"  
"Well, curiosity killed the cat!" Said Leona in a playful tone. "Well, it's more than just curiosity that's killing me." thought Liz.  
"Just kidding." Leona replied, almost apologizing for the earlier statement. "Well, my brother did tell me his name."  
"Don't tell me he was agent Bond, James Bond?" Kyle said, imitating James Bond.  
Everyone laughed except Leona, who was just smiling and looking down. Then Kyle looked at her and his smile faded.  
"Sorry." he said.  
"It's ok. I was kinda trying to imagine him being like James Bond but..."she sighed  
"It didn't work." she wrinkled her nose and then continued.  
"Do you have a picture?" asked Isabel trying sound calm.  
"Ok, ok let me see if I have one here." she replied searching in her wallet. "Oh! Here you are!" Then she showed the picture to Isabel face down. When Isabel took it, everyone practically stopped breathing. When Isabel and the others finally saw the man who was Leona's brother, they went pale. Leona spoke:  
"Ladies and gentlemen meet Derek Johnson, secret name: Agent Pierce!"  
Everybody looked at her suspiciously. Leona looked back at them knowing what they were trying to imply with those glances.  
"So, what do you think? Is he a hunk or what?" She asked smiling.  
"Well, he is...um." started Tess not knowing what to say. Everybody had found really hard to act composed in front of her.  
"He's really hot!" finished Maria fienging enthusiasm.  
"OK, let's stop talking about cute brother here. It's making every poor guy uncomfortable!" said Kyle, pointing at some guys that were around.  
"Like yourself?" said Liz trying to grin grinning.  
"Well, for the first time in my life, I agree with Kyle." said Michael and then turned to Max and said: "Hey, Max! I need to talk to you about what we talked last time."  
"Sure, let's go!" He grabbed his backpack while Michael approached Leona and hugged her saying:  
"I'm sorry about your brother. If you need anything, call me, ok? I will come by your house to pay you a visit anyway."  
"Thanks Michael. I appreciate it!" she replied when he let go of her. Then he said good bye to everybody and took off with Max.  
They went to the football field. Under the stands, Michael broke down. He was really upset and Max couldn't find a way to calm him down.  
"How do you expect me to react after we found out that one of our best friends is  
Pierce's sister? I don't think I can take it at all!"  
"Michael, you did what you had to do. We had no choice!" Replied Max, who also felt was breaking down from all the pressure and frustration and uncertainty of this new situation.  
"Choices? Then what was Tess doing there? She could have mind-wrapped him!"  
"Ok, we didn't think of that in the first place, but let's not make any mistakes here, all right? Now more than ever we need each other and we need to think of a plan to prepare ourselves before Leona finds out about this."  
"Max, it won't make any difference! I killed a man! No plan in the whole wide universe can change that. You can try and it won't change because, deep inside, I will know what really happened!"  
"Then, what do you want me to do? Tell her? Tell her what we did to her brother? Michael, she will be devastated. She will hate us. She will probably go to the Special Unit and tell them about us!"  
"She would never do that!" replied a female voice. Both guys turned around to see Isabel and Tess. "I know that she'll understand and..." Tess broke off as Michael interrupted her.  
"Tess, what if she doesn't understand? We're talking about her brother here. Take for example that I killed Max and told Isabel. She wouldn't understand. She'd hate me even tough she considers me a brother. It won't matter what we do. It's all the same! I killed her brother!"  
"But you had very good reasons to kill him!" She replied.  
"Michael is right." replied Isabel, "Besides, we have caused enough damage to her life. Let's not forget Kivar kidnapped her because of us."  
"Besides, we're all in this together! We can think of something that'll get us out of it temporarily." said Max looking away at the field.  
"Like what?" asked Michael, "Like not talk to her anymore?"  
"Ok, I'm sure we can work something out...like getting away from her...just for a while!" Max said, now desperate because he couldn't think about anything. The many emotions that were rushing through his veins were clouding up his judgment; he didn't know what to do anymore.  
"Max, we can't do that! She needs us." pleaded Tess.  
"I'll come up with something later; right now, I can't even start to think." Max replied. "I need a break. I'm taking a drive. I don't care where it takes me. I...I...I just need to get out of here. I need to think. I'll see you later."  
"Max!" Michael called when he saw Max take off. "Max!" But he couldn't make him stop. Max wasn't listening.  
"We'll call it a bad day." he said looking at the girls.  
"I need to go somewhere, too. Liz told me she wanted to talk to me. See you." said Isabel. Michael saw Isabel go, and then turned to look at Tess, who now seemed more worried than before.  
"I guess it's just you and me now." He said to her.  
"What do you think we should do?" She asked without looking at him.  
"I was thinking of telling her, but I guess that would mean disobeying our fearless leader." he replied sarcastically.  
"I hate it when you call him that!" she commented.  
"Well, he seems to be used to it anyway."  
"If we tell her, how would she react?"  
"Simple, she'll hate us, but at least we'd be honest with her and she respects that."  
"What if we go to her house and tell her?"  
"My friend, you just came up with a great idea!"  
"Pick me up at Kyle's house at 7."she said reluctantly.  
"You got it!" He agreed. With that, they finished their conversation and went off in different directions.  
Isabel went to the eraser room where she was supposed to meet Liz. Isabel had a worried look on her face when she saw Liz. She wondered what possible reason Liz had to meet with her there. Liz was the first one to speak:  
"Hey, thanks for coming. I really need help with this."  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
"Something really weird happened this morning."  
"Liz, you say that everyday!" said Isabel with her arms crossed.  
"No, I mean it this time! This morning, I went up to my closet and I got this shirt out, but the weird thing is this, you see, this shirt WAS blue and now it's black!" Liz said with her hands in the now black shirt.  
"What do you mean?" She replied in confusion.  
"The first time I saw it, it was blue, and then I touched it and it changed to black!"  
"Just like that?!" She said waving her hands.  
"I don't know. I think I must have wished it were black or something. I really don't know, but I was wondering if this had something to do with Max healing me. Maybe something in me changed."  
"Ok, wait a minute! Your shirt was blue, then you touched it and it went black?" Isabel asked, still confused about what Liz was trying to tell her.  
"Yes!" Liz replied, almost yelling.  
"That is really weird! I...I don't know what to say!" she said.  
"I know. I didn't know what to do or think. I just thought of you and that probably you could help me." Liz said.  
"You think Max knows something? Wouldn't you like to talk about it with him?" Izzy said, almost hopeful that this would get them to talk and get them closer. On the other hand, Liz was still doubtful about talking to Max. She knew that she would get all awkward once she was with him. She always gets that feeling every time she is alone with him.  
"I'm...I don't know. What if he doesn't know anything? Don't you know anybody else we could talk to about this?" Liz commented. She thought she should probably just let the subject go for a while.  
"You're right, but in case you still have that little power of yours, we will look for something that will help you." Isabel replied  
"Wait a minute! My little power? You don't think I'm getting powers now, do you?" Liz said almost freaked about the thought.  
"What do I know? Maybe...yes...I mean...probably!" she replied, then Liz groaned.  
"Why? Why now? why me? why?! why?! why?!" Liz repeated.  
"Liz, calm down! It will be all right!" Isabel said, hoping that it'll help.  
"Oh! Will it?" She said sarcastically.  
"I know it will! Look, let's get out of here before we get busted and we'll go somewhere else to talk. I can probably come up with something while you show me how you did it."  
"I don't know if I can do it again." Liz replied doubtful.  
"Just try and if it doesn't work, then it's probably nothing."  
"Um.. Isabel? I forgot to tell you that it's not the first time it happens."  
"What? Liz!!" Isabel yelled.  
"I know, I know, I'm sorry! I should have said that in the first place. Sorry I didn't tell you!" she said apologetically.  
"Ok, first, we get out of here, then we talk, ok?" Isabel replied.  
"Ok"  
"Let's go." she said. They took off out of the eraser room to the parking lot, where she had her car. Isabel has had her car since last year. Her parents had told her she needed her own car so she could go anywhere she needed. But, she got the car, mostly because Max persuaded them. Once they got in the car, Liz was thinking about Max and how he would react to this. Like it or not, she cared about what Max thought, just like Leona had told her. Like always, she was right. 


	4. Suspicion and trust

Hi, again! here's the 4th chapter. Hate it? like it? love it? Review or just read!  
  
PART# 4  
Later that night, Tess was sitting with Kyle watching TV. She kept looking at her watch. Kyle noticed that and asked:  
"Waiting for someone?"  
"Yes, Michael and I are going over to Leona's house." she replied.  
"Really? Where else?" He implied.  
"What are you trying to imply with that?" She asked.  
"Nothing, just curiosity."  
"Well, for your information we are just going to see how she's doing."  
"Well, she cannot be any better than she is now; it's just been a day since she found out about her brother."  
"Kyle, I'm going to support her at all hours. I'm her friend and as a friend I'm trying to make sure she's ok."  
"You guys are going to tell her about her brother, aren't you?"  
"What?"  
"Tess, does Max know about this? Have you guys consulted with him about this?" He asked, trying to stop her from doing something that'd upset the whole situation.  
"Kyle, we're big kids now. We don't need Max to tell us what to do and say anymore. Besides.. since when have you called him Max?"  
"Whatever, Tess! If Evans told you to shut your mouth, he said it for some reason, didn't he? He didn't say that just to piss you off. Besides, I`m more worried about Leona!"  
"Guess what? I don't care! I will be honest with her, and I know she'll understand because she's different!" she heard someone knocking. "That must be Michael."  
"Tess, please think twice about this. You don't want to get Evans angry at you now, do you? Besides, if you tell Leona about her brother, she'll be more upset than she's now. Why don't you guys tell her when everything calms down, when she feels better?"  
"And let her find out before we tell her? No!" she said and then headed towards the door.  
"Tess..."  
"No, Kyle! I'm going! And you better not open your mouth to Max about this! Let us handle this, ok?" Then she saw Michael on his motorcycle waiting for her. She got onto the motorcycle and held on to him tight. Kyle wanted to make her stop, but he knew he couldn't even if he tried. So, he let her go. He would just have to wait and see how it turned out.  
Max had gotten home and went straight to his room where he locked himself up. He kept thinking about Leona. He knew that some day she would know. He hoped that she would understand, but he felt that, somehow, she wouldn't. He heard someone knock on the door. He groaned and got up.  
"Isabel, when a door is locked it means..." he stopped when he saw Liz standing before him. "Hi!" he said in surprised bewilderment.  
"Hi? When your door's locked it means hi?" She said joking.  
He laughed shyly. "Very funny. What are you doing here?" he said, leaving the door open. He went to lie down in his bed, and closed his eyes.  
"I came here with Isabel; I just wanted to ask her some things." she said entering.  
"Oh." he replied. Liz didn't know what to say. She saw Max' face. She could see that he had a lot of things on his mind, and one of those things was Leona. She wasn't sure it was the right moment to ask, but she just had to.  
"Um...Max?" She said and he replied with a mumbled `yeah' "What happens when you heal people?" He looked at her confused by the question.  
"Um... I heal them."  
"No, I mean, I know, but what really happens afterwards?"  
"What do you mean?"  
`I mean, don't they have some kind of side effects or something?"  
"Why do you ask?"  
"Max! Could you just answer my questions? Don't question me in return!"  
"I just want to know the reason for your question. Um...is there something wrong?" He said indifferently.  
"No, it's probably nothing." she replied, hurt by the way Max was treating her. "I...I probably should go now. I'll talk to Isabel. See you." Max, feeling guilty for the way he treated her, began to wonder why she still had such an effect on him every time he tried to avoid her.  
"Liz, wait!" He called. She stopped and turned around. "Do you need help with something? Is it about my powers?" He asked  
"Well, kind of."  
"Kind of?"  
"I'm not really sure what it is but..." she broke off, she kept wondering if she should tell him.  
"But what?"  
"I think I...I..." she hesitated.  
"Come on, Liz! Spill it. You can trust me." he said that only to make her feel better, if it worked.  
"Well, I think I might be getting powers." she lowered her head to avoid eye contact with him.  
"Powers? What kind of powers?" He asked.  
"I don't know, but I got a glimpse of it this morning."  
"What happened?" He got up to sit on his bed.  
"I changed a blue shirt into a black shirt." she said, now looking at him.  
"You changed colors?" He said raised his eyebrows.  
"Yeah, and just in case, I asked Isabel for help but she didn't know what to think. She told me that perhaps if I asked you, you'd know."  
"Well, I don't know any better than she does." he replied. "you think that healing you might have done this to you?"  
"I don't know. But you know what? I think we better let that go for a while."  
"No, Liz. What if it's dangerous? What if you can't control it? The least we could is help you find out what this is and how it works." he said. He couldn't believe what he had done to her; he introduced her into what she couldn't control. He took away her chance to be normal, like everybody else.  
"But right now you have more important things to think about...you know...Leona." she replied. "I think that she's the important one right now."  
"I know, but I don't know what to do."  
"It's not the first time you don't know what to do, but you always figure it out in the end." "Do you think it's best if we tell her what really happened?" He asked, hoping that she'd give him the right answer.  
"Well, one thing she always respected was honesty." Liz commented.  
"So you think we should tell her."  
"What I think is that you should be honest with your heart about what you really want to do and your heart will come up with the answer soon." she said smiling. He looked at her a little puzzled.  
"You could've just told me to follow my heart, not give me a game of words."  
"Ok, sorry." she said chuckling, "so what does your heart say?"  
"Do you want to come with me to pay her a visit?" He asked hopeful.  
"Sure." she replied.  
"Ok, let's go." he called, then he just grabbed his jacket and his keys.  
"Hey, what about Isabel?" he looked at her and said:  
"I think she will be busy today." When he was at the door, he called to Liz, "You coming?"  
She looked at him and nodded in agreement. When they got into the car, Max turned the radio on. He said that every time he was nervous he'd just turn on the radio to relax. Max was nervous for two reasons, or better said, two women: Liz and Leona. When he turned the radio on, "I Shall Believe" was playing. Liz looked at him and Max looked back.  
"What?" he asked, "Do I have something on my face or what?"  
"Yes!" then she saw how he frowned and looked in the mirror, "You have the face of pure terror!" she said grinning. Max looked at her with a serious face as if saying, `That is not funny'. He started the car and drove away with Liz besides him, listening to their song, but he didn't know that. Only Liz knew that.  
Isabel was in her room talking to Alex; the thing she did every time she was alone. It had been a year now, and even tough he was dead, he would appear to her and she would talk to him about everything that happened lately.  
"What do you think we should do?" She asked him.  
"Well, all year long you made her sound like a special girl. Perhaps being that special makes her different." he replied.  
"What do you mean?" She asked, turning to look at him.  
"I mean...she's not like others. I think she'll understand the situation better than the FBI."  
"Alex, I can't tell her! I'd feel so ashamed and I know she won't forgive us for killing her brother!"  
"But you owe it to her for letting her into your crazy world." He said in a soft voice.  
"I know that Max wouldn't let us tell her, at least not until he has a plan."  
"Honey, he went to her house today and I'm pretty sure he went to tell her."  
"Why didn't he ask me to go with him?" She asked in a furious tone, getting up from her bed.  
"He went with Liz." he said calmly, knowing that Isabel wanted them to get back together more that anybody in the world.  
"Oh, that's reasonable." she sat down again. She went silent trying to imagine the scene where her brother tells Leona the truth. She imagined her face, the tears rolling down her cheeks, the screaming, and the anger in her eyes. She spoke again:  
"You think my brother will tell her everything?"  
"He's planning to tell her. So, probably he will." He touched her face making her turn to look at him. "If it makes you feel any better, whatever happens, I'll be here with you until the end." He saw her smiling and he kissed her softly on the lips.  
"I love you." she said.  
"I love you, too. I will always love you." he replied and disappeared.  
Isabel saw him disappear and let the tears roll down her cheeks. Then she swept them away and got up, taking her car keys with her.  
Michael and Tess finally arrived at Leona's house after stopping at a store to buy flowers for her. Tess kept saying that they had to choose the right flowers and Michael rolled his eyes every time she didn't know which flowers to buy. They both took deep breaths before ringing the doorbell. Leona opened the door and invited them in.  
"Here, we brought you flowers." said Tess, giving the flowers to Leona once they were inside, "to brighten your mood!"  
"Thanks! You shouldn't have." Leona replied with a smile, taking the flowers from Tess. "Well, I better put them in water. They are beautiful. Do you want me to get you something on my way to the kitchen?"  
"N...No, we're fine." replied Michael, who seemed a little more nervous than usual.  
"Ok, I'll be right back." she said. Michael and Tess heard the water faucet open. They took seats while they were waiting for her. Leona called from the kitchen:  
"Are you sure you don't want something? I have chocolate cake if you want."  
Tess and Michael looked at each other thinking that the nervousness made them hungry already. They answered in unison,  
"Sure!"  
Later, Leona came back with three little plates with pieces of chocolate cake and a bottle of Tabasco.  
"I always make sure that my mom includes Tabasco sauce in the grocery list, just in case you decide to come by and want some dessert." Leona winked at both of them.  
"Which we always do." said Tess smiling back.  
"Well, it's nice to be here. Beats being alone at home." agreed Michael with his half smile.  
Leona handed out the plates to them and sat down with her plate in her hand.  
"I really appreciate your visit. I felt so lonely being here having to remember the past and looking at pictures of my brother." she said.  
"Anything for a friend. No...wait...a best friend!" replied Tess smiling. Leona smiled back at them. Michael gave Tess a look that meant that it was time to tell her, Tess just nodded. Michael sighed and started:  
"We came for something else, Leona."  
"We really need to tell you something." said Tess, and then they saw her frown.  
"It's more like a secret of ours and we vowed not to tell anybody, not even you." said Michael, who now was playing with his ring, "but we know that we can trust you with this, and to tell you the truth, you won't like this."  
"You guys, whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise that whatever you say will stay here." Leona said almost afraid that they will prove to her that her uncle was right.  
"But, we're not sure...after you know this, you won't want to be our friend anymore." Tess said, almost trembling.  
"If this is about your lives as aliens, let me tell you, I'm used to it. I know that you do what you have to do to protect yourselves." she replied.  
"Leona, we..." started Tess, but hesitated. Michael interrupted her.  
"I killed a man..." he saw how Leona's jaw dropped open and her eyes widened.  
Tess shook her head,  
"No, Michael! We're all in this together. We killed a man!" she said desperately.  
"I can't believe this." Leona whispered, still shocked.  
"Leona, we didn't do this because we wanted to, we had to!" Said Tess.  
"When I realized he was dead, I felt ashamed and guilty; I couldn't live with myself after that." Michael said, seeing how shocked Leona was. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Leona jumped, startled and without looking at them she asked,  
"Does Max knows about what you did?"  
"He was there. So was Isabel." Tess replied. Leona got up then, and went to open the door. Max was standing before her with Liz behind him. Leona looked at him and without saying anything, she stepped aside in sign to tell him to come in. Max frowned when he say the look on Leona's face. As he stepped in the house, he saw Michael with Tess, who seemed to be crying. Both Tess and Michael turned around to see who it was. They were both shocked to see Max standing there.  
"Oh! This is just great!" Michael said, referring to Max.  
"What's wrong?" Asked Liz when she saw all of them so serious.  
"You told her!" Max said to Michael.  
"Not everything!" Michael replied.  
"Oh, there's something else?" Leona asked in her most calm voice and shutting the door.  
"Told her what?" asked Liz, confused.  
"About a man they killed." she said still calm, even when she was still angry and hurt inside. Liz looked at her shocked, and then she looked at Max.  
"Michael, Tess, we're leaving...NOW!" Ordered Max.  
"No! We're not done here, Maxwell!" yelled Michael.  
"Michael!" Max yelled back, "I'm serious! We're leaving!"  
"No! You're not getting out of here until you tell me everything!" replied Leona, standing before the door. Max looked at her in disbelief. Liz was besides him, witnessing in horror everything that was going on. "Max, just tell me what really happened. I already promised that I am not going to say a word about this." Leona looked at him seeing how he hesitated.  
"Max, please! I want to know what really happened. After all, I am already in too deep to get out. Let me help you!"  
"You wouldn't understand." said Max.  
"Try me." she replied. Max then looked at Michael and Tess. He saw how their eyes were pleading with him to finish what they started. He turned to look at Leona, who was waiting for his answer. Then he sighed and said,  
"No. I...I can`t." and headed towards the door saying, "Let's go." Leona knew what that meant. Whether she liked it or not, that meant that the Royal Four just slipped through her hands and that she wouldn't be able to protect them properly. Michael and Tess looked at her; she looked back at them. There was this deep sadness in their eyes that made her see how guilty they felt. Liz didn't say anything, but it was clear to see that she didn't feel comfortable by the situation and that she wished to have done something else than just watch. She followed Max after he crossed the door. Michael and Tess were behind her, not wanting to make Max any more angry than he already was.  
Leona saw them leave. She couldn't believe what a coward Max was. They had the opportunity to come clean and he blew it. It was time for "plan B." She went upstairs to the attic and looked for the package Pierce had sent her before he died. She found it under a bureau where she had left it the day it came in. When she cleaned the dirt off of it, she got out of the attic closing the door behind her. She headed to her room and once there she started to rip the paper off of it. She looked at the wooden box that lay before her eyes and looked at the golden lock it had on it. She remembered where she had left the key and went to the wall in the right side of her bedroom. She waved her hand once in front of it and a little vertex opened. She put her hand inside and looked for the key. Her hand touched a book and when she got it out, she saw the key attached to it and read the lines in the cover in her Antarian language. It was a book of prophecies in which the gods had written to  
help her in her search for the Messiah. She waved her hand in front of the wall once again to close the vertex. With the book and key in her hand, she sat down before the wooden box. Even though she struggled a lot to open the lock, she finally opened it with her powers, thing she didn't think of at first. Her mind was a turmoil of thoughts that she couldn't think straight.  
When she opened it, she was shocked to see what she found inside of it. She opened a folder she had found inside. She kept reading the files, but there was a moment when she couldn't take anymore of it and closed the folder. Then, she put it back inside and closed the box when she heard her uncle knock on the door. Quickly, she hid the box under her bed and got up to open the door.  
"Hey!" said her uncle, "Do you feel like eating Chinese food? Because right now, we have some delicious fried rice and egg rolls, how about it?"  
"It does sound good, but I'm not hungry." she replied lowering her head.  
"Come on! You have to eat." pleaded her uncle, "You're not looking that fat if that's what you're worried about." Leona chuckled at his comment, then said:  
"No, it's not that. It's just that I told them about Pierce." she saw how her uncle's smile faded.  
"How did they take it?"  
"They seemed shocked but nothing else."  
"They didn't say anything to you, did they?"  
"No," she said sighing, "I can say that I'm really disappointed."  
"There's no need for me to tell you that I told you so."  
"Ok, so you were right, now what?"  
"You'll have to come up with something else to make them talk."  
"That's it? You don't want me to punish them?"  
"Leona, I was really angry and out of my mind when I asked you to punish them." he replied, "I shouldn't have asked you that knowing what happened the last time you did punish them. I'm sorry, but I believe that somehow, they'll get what they deserve."  
"I can say that they're having a really hard time with teenage stuff." she said and her uncle laughed at her statement.  
"Really? Those humans, who can understand them?"  
"Try asking your wife. She's human and I think she'll be pretty much offended if she heard you say that."  
"I heard that, all right!" replied a female voice. Both Leona and her uncle looked at her. Her uncle went pale when he saw his wife with her arms crossed. Leona suppressed a laugh and her uncle tried to say something but nothing came out. Finally, her aunt spoke,  
"It's ok, I'll try to explain everything you need to know later, but now it's time to get ready for dinner."  
"I'm not hungry, Aunt Rose. I'll be in my room working on my homework." Leona said.  
"But, you need to eat! You're not that fat, if that's what you're worried about." She replied.  
Leona rolled her eyes at her statement, "Why does everybody think that I'm skipping dinner because I don't want to look fat?" she thought.  
"No, it's not that! I'm not hungry, that's it."  
"Ok, but it's your loss. Your aunt and I are going to eat it all, and I'm warning you this is your last chance to get something to eat." commented her uncle.  
"Thanks, but no thanks." she replied smiling.  
"Ok, if you need something, holler or something and we'll be there." said her uncle, not yet convinced to let his niece to go to bed without eating.  
"Thanks." she said. She went back into her room and closed the door behind her once the couple was down the stairs to the kitchen.  
Leona sat on her bed and let her head fall to her hands. She thought about what she had found in the box. She couldn't still believe it. Later, she lay down and she thought about how different her life would've been if none of this had happened. How different it would've all been if she had never fallen in love with Zan.  
Meanwhile, at the Crashdown Cafe, the gang, including Sean, argued about what happened at Leona's house, especially Max and Michael.  
"How could you do that without my consent?!!" yelled Max, who was really angry for Michael's disobedience.  
"Maxwell, did you think I was gonna be able to handle it any longer, knowing that Pierce's family is out there grieving for him and I'm here walking free? At least I have a conscience! You seem to lack one!!" Michael yelled back.  
"Michael, you almost put us in danger!"  
"Why didn't you think of that before you healed Liz?!! Huh??!! That's where ALL our real problems began...thanks to YOU!" Michael was furious, but most of all, he just couldn't take the guilt any more.  
Max tried to take a swing at Michael, but missed because Kyle stopped him before he could reach Michael`s jaw. Sean also cooperated by standing before Michael trying to calm him down. Whatever he said seemed to work.  
"Why do I feel like everything is my fault?" Asked Liz. Isabel, who was besides her, laid her hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.  
"Liz, none of it is your fault. We ALL have to be responsible for our own acts, even though it's easier to blame it on someone else." said Isabel.  
"Are you sure about that? Because Michael seems to be the only one who always screws up!" accused Max. Maria approached him slowly and did what no one expected of her: she slapped Max all across his face. Everyone was dumbfounded about what Maria had done, but Isabel wasn't for long, as she commented,  
"If you didn't get enough of that, just tell me and I'll be happy to do it for you!" The gang fell silent. Max felt so ashamed at that moment, he didn't know what to say.  
"Well," spoke Sean, "now that the secret's out, what are we gonna do?"  
"WE?" replied Kyle, referring to Sean wanting to be included in it.  
"Yes, I want to help, you know." he replied, "and don't tell me I can't, because I'm in, anyway."  
"That's the same excuse Liz used so she could be included in every alien activity of theirs." commented Maria, rolling her eyes at her delinquent cousin.  
`That's not true!" Liz protested, "I did it, because I wanted to help!"  
"Liz, please! Every one of us knows why you did it. So don't make us say anything if you don't want anything spilled." Maria warned her friend with a little grin. Liz rolled her eyes after Maria's comment.  
"Now, getting back to Leona," started Sean. "do you think she'll say anything?"  
"I think her parents must be on that case by now." commented Kyle  
"Her parents?" Sean asked confused.  
"Her parents are FBI." Michael cleared.  
"Damn!" He replied looking at Liz.  
"I know." Liz agreed  
"How do you know they're not from the Special Unit?" He asked.  
"We don't know that. In fact, we're not sure." replied Max.  
"Um.." Said Sean clearing his throat, "do you want me to find out?"  
Everybody just turned to look at him in disbelief.  
"I'll think of something. You don't get out of jail without experience, you know?" He commented. Maria rose her eyebrows as Isabel smiled at the comment. Max kept thinking about his offer.  
"Ok, but you better be careful. You don't want her to find out about your purpose to know about the Special Unit all of a sudden." replied Max.  
"Hey, I heard it from Maria. She filled me in." he said pointing at Maria.  
"Ok, we'll meet you here for any information you got." Max replied.  
"Ok, I'll be here." Sean said smiling.  
"I usually think that it's going to be a huge mistake, but I actually trust him now." commented Maria.  
"I told you a little faith won't hurt ya." replied Isabel.  
In the kitchen, Max and Michael were alone. Max spoke first,  
"I'm sorry about all the things I said about you."  
"I am more sorry for bringing Liz up into our problem. She shouldn't be the one to blame. She's blaming herself because of me." Michael replied looking down.  
"I don't even know what has gotten into me now. I feel...I don't know...out of my mind."  
"You always were out of your mind, Maxwell!" he replied.  
"Ok, I'll take the credit for that, but now, I seem to be crazier than before." he kept commenting.  
"Um...hormones?" Michael joked.  
"Hey!" Max said almost frowning.  
"Well, it seems to be the only explanation." Michael commented grinning.  
"You're not so great yourself!" He said almost laughing.  
Then they stopped to think, and a few minutes later they turned to look at each other.  
"I think there will be more of what happened earlier." Max replied.  
"Why?"  
"Because, now that we have this little problem with Leona, I think we're going to completely lose our minds." said Max.  
"You still don't trust her?"  
"I trust her, but I'm afraid for you guys, and personally, I didn't like you disobeying my orders."  
" Max, what are you so angry about? You told me you were going to talk to her about the same thing!"  
"I know, but what pissed me off was the fact that you both went to tell her, without telling me. I mean, you were the one who made me trust her when I didn't. I kept telling you that she was a danger to all of us, but you were persistent and you never gave up. Why didn't you do the same now? I could've gone with you guys."  
"Ok, sorry about that. I should have persuaded you into telling her but you are so stubborn, hardheaded, so difficult to handle, so..." he broke off as Max interrupted him.  
"Hey, hey, hey, I got it!" He said "I admit it, too, but you're not so good yourself!"  
"I know and I'm sorry for every time I screwed up."  
"We all screwed up, Michael. I didn't have any right to blame it on you." he replied and both guys shook hands and hugged. Kyle watched them hug and he went up to them and said, jokingly,  
"Oh, I love you guys, too!" and he hugged them. Michael and Max threw a look at Kyle as if saying "Very funny".  
"What? You gotta share the love, don't you?"  
"I'll give you more than love!" replied Michael, "how `bout a taste of my powers, Buddah boy?"  
"I...I'm just trying to lighten up the mood here!" replied Kyle as if trying to make a point. "Now, did you want me to tell my dad about this? Just in case."  
"Yes, I think we're gonna need Valenti here. But, not yet. We need to plan everything, at least until tomorrow." commented Max.  
"I'm still nervous. I don't know how she's going to take this." Isabel replied.  
"Me, too!" said Maria, "didn't she say anything while you were there?"  
"No, there were no screams, no crying, no nothing." replied Michael.  
"That is thanks to me." said Max.  
"But once she knows that this is about her brother, there will be a lot of that." commented Liz. Then Liz turned to see Tess, who hadn't spoken a word since they got there.  
"Tess, you all right?" Asked Liz. Then everyone turned to look at Tess.  
"Does it seem like I'm all right?" she replied, "I'm tired of all this. Why can't we just live our lives?"  
"There's nothing else we want more than that, but I guess we're stuck with this." said Max.  
"Obligations, responsibilities, promises, etc, etc..." replied Tess, "for the first time in my life, I wish I was somebody else. I don't want to be The Queen for Antar. I want to be just a person. I want to have friends and not worry about risking their lives by being their friend. I want to walk free and be in love with whomever I want, even when we're not the same...species. I want a lot of things that I'm sure there's not a chance in hell I'm gonna get here or ever!" Then she started to cry softly, looking out the window, seeing how empty and dark the street was. Max approached her, but she stopped him by saying,  
"No, Max! I don't want your pity. I want a life. I was ok. I was fine. Ever since Pierce appeared and died and I realized he was Leona`s brother, I knew, I just knew that I can't have any of those things. I realized that if I lose Leona as my friend, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."  
"We don't want that to happen either." replied Isabel.  
"I think I better call Leona. I want to know how is she. Liz, can I use your phone?" commented Kyle.  
"Sure," replied Liz.  
"Boyfriend Kyle to the rescue!" said Michael sarcastically.  
"Shut up, Guerin!" said Kyle annoyed at his sarcasm.  
"Yeah, you better. You don't want Leona to know you are here and start to ask Kyle about it, do you?" commented Sean.  
"The boy has a point." said Maria.  
"Ok, then let's just think about what we're going to do." commented Max, as he made his way to the room at the back.  
After a while, everyone was thinking of new ideas for a plan. They worked as a team, except for Tess, who didn't want to be a part of it. They all realized how difficult life is without someone to love, someone to lean on, without a friend or family. Some of them were already living proof of it, but somehow, they found their way through it and found somebody. They knew that it's not enough being happy on their own. They need more than just happiness and peace. They need a friend. 


	5. Cheerleader attack

Yay! chapter 5! Keep enjoying!  
  
PART# 5  
Leona woke up more tired than ever, but she was glad it was Friday. She didn't think she could make it to school, but she told herself that she had to. She took a shower, got dressed and went to have some breakfast. Her uncle and aunt were gone already. She took the bottle of milk from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and made herself some toast.  
She found a note from her uncle on the refrigerator door that read:  
"Leona:  
We went to a conference at the Bureau. We won't be back until Monday. I suggest you be a good girl while you're alone in the house and no parties (I always wanted to say that). By the way, the FBI is discussing about letting you handle the Carson case..." She stopped reading because she spilled the milk in shock. "THE CARSON CASE!! I can't believe it!" she thought excitedly, and she kept going:  
"Don't get too excited. They are considering you now that they know about Pierce and how his death affected you and they kind of have to "test" you, just in case. I'll keep you posted on anything that you need to know so you can get the case.  
See you Monday and take care.  
Love,  
Your uncle."  
"Well, I'll be damned!" she said, as she cleaned the mess. She sat at the table and ate her breakfast. Once she finished, she went up to her room and searched under her bed. The box was still there. She debated whether to take it or to leave it and after school come to pick it up. She decided to take it. She took the keys to her uncle's car and drove to school.  
When she got there, she took the box with her, planning to keep it in her locker. Once she was in front of her locker as she opened it, she saw Max. She quickly put the box inside. Max had the locker besides her so he had to approach near her. She hoped he wouldn't mention night before. Fortunately, her cheerleader friends got to Leona before he came to his locker, so Max just opened the locker and just saw her talking to her friends. He just walked away without saying a word to her.  
At lunch, the whole gang was at the tables except Leona, who seemed to have disappeared. The truth was, she had practice and that took up most of her time in school.  
"I think she is trying to avoid us." commented Michael.  
"I don't think she'd be that immature." replied Max.  
"That's right. Besides, she has practice. Not that this is the first time she has practice with those cheerleaders, right?" said Maria.  
"During lunch hour?" asked Kyle, trying to make his point.  
"Ok, probably she is taking her lunch time to practice harder. She's getting ready for the Pep Rally, didn't you know?" replied Liz.  
"Well, the truth is she has always been prepared without taking any extra time. If anyone's to blame about her falling from the air, are those selfish cows." commented Isabel.  
"Could you please stop making excuses for her? Let's just believe she is at practice and that's it!" said Tess, who now seemed upset by their comments.  
"Sorry!" they said in unison. They noticed that Tess hadn't touched her food. Isabel was about to ask, but Tess replied before Isabel asked,  
"I'm not hungry."  
"Ok." replied Izzy.  
Max saw some of Leona's other friends and Isabel said,  
"Witches of Salem at 12 o'clock." The gang suppressed their laughs after the comment.  
"I'm outta here. I don't even want to look at them." said Kyle when he saw them.  
"Then close your eyes." replied Michael.  
"Very funny Guerin, but I`m going to find Leona." he said as he got up and left.  
When the girls were before them, Max joked,  
"Well, Maddy! What do I owe the honor of your presence? Must be my birthday!" then he grinned.  
"Don't flatter yourself, boy." she replied, "I'm here to ask: what have you done to Leona?"  
The gang just froze there, not knowing what to expect from Max.  
"What do you mean?" He asked.  
"Let me see: She doesn't concentrate enough at practice. She's depressed. What do you think? That Max broke up with her or something?" said Tess indifferently. It was obvious that she didn't appreciate them asking.  
"Hey! don't drag me into this!" then he turned to the girls, "Leona has a boyfriend already."  
"I came here to ask because I'm worried...and Leona mentioned Max." Maddy replied,  
"Well, that's a first!" said Isabel smiling, "I thought you worried more about the Rally, instead of your girls."  
"Leona is my friend and I care about her!" she replied, glaring at Isabel.  
"She is also one of the best cheerleaders you've ever had!" commented Isabel.  
"That's true, but right now I'm more worried about her psychological condition. Can you at least tell me what's wrong with her?" she asked again almost exasperated.  
"Her brother passed away!" replied Maria.  
The group of girls stared at Maria in disbelief. Maddy's jaw dropped open slightly.  
"Why didn't she tell us?" Maddy asked.  
"Why don't you ask her?" replied Max, "She's over there with Kyle looking for a little bit more of support." he pointed at Leona, who was sitting at another table with her face in her hands. Maddy turned around and then back to face Max.  
"Well, I'm sorry for the way I came and demanded an answer from you. I shouldn't have."  
"Next time, try asking politely." recommended Isabel.  
"Yeah, I'm sorry." she said again and she headed towards Leona.  
"Maddy," Liz called. Maddy turned around, "If it makes you feel any better, Leona didn't tell us either. We had to find out from her parents." Maddy nodded in sign of thanking her and then walked away. Isabel looked at Liz then at Max and back at Liz.  
"What the hell was that?" she asked.  
"What? She just asked for Leona and yes, I know, she wasn't too nice." Liz replied.  
"You just went all nice on Maddy even though she is a bitch and a very annoying person!"  
"Izzy, you know me. I have always been polite to people." Liz replied.  
"Yeah, to the wrong people." stated Maria. The gang looked at Leona with Kyle and her cheerleader friend. Soon, she got up and looked at Max. Max stared into Leona's eyes. Nothing seemed to make him take his eyes off her. Leona noticed that she had been looking at Max for a while and blushed realizing that Kyle was looking at her, frowning.  
Kyle looked at Max and Max looked back at Kyle and quickly turned to his friends who were looking at him strangely.  
"I'm going to talk to her or at least try." said Max getting up.  
"What are you going to say to her after what happened yesterday?" asked Isabel.  
"I'll figure something out." he replied.  
"Good luck. Hope you find the right words." said Michael as Max gathered his things and took off.  
At the hallway, Leona was at her locker getting ready to skip the next few classes. As she was ready to get the box out of her locker, she saw Max. "Oh, great!" she thought.  
"Skipping classes, huh?" he said when he was in front of her. Leona half-closed her locker and turned to face Max.  
"Yeah, not the first time." she said coldly.  
"Is it just me or did it just suddenly get cold in here?" said Max, referring to the coldness in her words.  
"Must be you." she replied in the same cold tone.  
Then he saw the half-closed locker and stared at it for a few seconds.  
"Aren't you going to close your locker?" he asked pointing at it.  
"I need to get something out later."  
"What is it you have there?" he asked.  
"MYOB." Leona replied.  
"What the hell is that?" he asked even more confused.  
"Mind Your Own Business, Max!" she replied with her arms crossed.  
"Leona, you don't have to treat me like that." he said, hurt by her words.  
"How should I treat you, then, Max?" she said with her arms still crossed.  
"Is this because of last night or the fact we kept a secret from you?" He asked.  
"Both." She replied and Max sighed, "Max, I could've helped you. You know there's nothing, I mean, NOTHING that can come between our friendship."  
"There IS something!" he replied.  
"Why don't you tell me what it is then? Last night, I saw how mad you got at Michael for telling me. Max, it seems as if I'm a stranger to you. I thought you knew that I appreciate when people are honest with me. Michael tried, but you stopped him!"  
"You haven't been honest yourself."  
"Max, I have always been honest with you!" Leona said, even more surprised when he questioned her honesty.  
"You also keep secrets from us and you're upset because we keep them, too. Look who's talking!"  
" I'm less upset by that and I`m sorry I keep things that are much more personal than this, but the way you acted last night..." she said.  
"Ok, I apologize for that, but it's just so difficult to keep up with this leader stuff and even more when Michael doesn't even respect my orders. I told him not to tell you until you calmed down. I was thinking about how upset you were for your loss and this wasn't the time to tell you."  
"What does that have to do with me?"  
"Well, the thing is...that...th...there are worse things than the ones you already know."  
"But what does that have to do with me?" she asked again.  
He looked at her for a while trying to come up with something.  
"And don't lie to me Max!" warned Leona.  
"I can't tell you, Leona. I`m really sorry, but not just yet." Max replied.  
"Oh, not again with this, Max!" she said exasperated.  
"I'm sorry Leona, but I can't."  
"Why? Why are you so eager to keep this secret when I know just part of it?"  
"Leona, please try to understand." pleaded Max.  
"Max, I don't understand!"  
"Since we let you in our lives you knew that there were things you wouldn't understand and this is one of those things. No need to ask the questions when you know that there are no answers yet." Leona's face hardened after his comment. Max was still looking at her.  
"Then I'll look for the answers!"  
"Leona..."  
"You just lost your chance, Max!" she said and opened her locker to get the box out and closed it. "One thing I learned from the FBI is that the easy way is no way to get answers. Then, Max, I'll go the hard way!"  
"Leona, there's no use in fighting us." said Max grabbing her by one arm.  
"You think so?" she said and then freed herself from him, "We'll see about that!" and took off. After he saw her go, he hit the lockers in frustration. Max was worried just thinking about what she said. He believed that she was able to call the Special Unit on them. She had the power for that, so did her parents. Then he heard the bell ring and walked away to his class. 


	6. Leona's secret

Hey! this is chapter 6, hope u like it. Anyway this and chapter 7 may be the last ones for a while because I'm concentrating on a Harry Potter fic, but I'll try to finish it ok?  
  
Umm...I guess I only have to say: Read and enjoy!  
  
PART# 6  
Leona drove through highway 280. She kept thinking of a plan to get the Royal Four to talk. Seeing how her first plan didn't work, she would use what was in the box against them. She had finally arrived where she wanted to be: The pods.  
She didn't need to pass her hand on the lock. The door opened when the sensors detected her presence.  
She went in and went through the pods. The granolith stood there and Leona thought it looked so majestic for a simple science device. It seemed like a Holy shrine where she would worship her higher beings.  
"Serena seems to have done a good job with the granolith." commented a male voice.  
Leona turned around in surprise to see the male who was surrounded by fire. Even his body seemed to be on fire, but the flames never consumed his body. It just kept shining like the sun. His eyes were as red as his spiky hair was. Leona couldn't help but smile at the sight of that hair. His name was Phoenix.  
"It seems like the god of fire wants to be young again with that hair. It works!"  
"Don't you dare joke about my hair!" he said pointing a finger to her, "Have some respect for your elders, young lady!"  
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it." she replied. Phoenix was disgusted by her comments. "And I won't do it again," Leona continued.  
"You better not. However, I did not come here to discuss hair issues. I came here to talk about the Royal Four." he cleared.  
"Not again!"  
"I understand you are upset because you think they killed your cousin. But, I don't think it's fair to them for a goddess to keep a secret of the powers they were to be provided."  
"As far as I'm concerned, they don't deserve those powers, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give them."  
"Then why haven't you? You have been in Roswell for a year now and you haven`t told them about who you really are."  
" Point taken, but I just wanted to test them just ..."  
"Test them?" he interrupted her, "What's there to test? Leona, you have a job and it is not up to you to decide whether they are fit or not. There is a planet in danger and we need them. Most of all, we don't have time to choose another Royal Four who are fit to fight your father. Our people are losing their faith and hope is dying. Don't make this a tragedy!"  
"I won't. Tonight, I will tell them everything and I will start with the trainings."  
"Make it fast. We don't have time to lose."  
"All right." she said with her head lowered. The man looked at her sadly.  
"You don't have to feel guilty about what happened in the past. What has happened, happened. There is no need to bring it out again."  
"Our people are dying and I know I'm responsible for this. I know God has forgiven me for having caused this war, but I can't forgive myself."  
"Leona, we are going to make it with the Royal Four and the Messiah. We will free our people."  
"I haven't even found the Messiah!" she said frustrated.  
"You will, I believe that you will." he said smiling.  
"Thanks."  
"You are most welcome." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. As Leona felt his hot lips touch her skin, she smiled.  
"Are you sure you don't mind Max using your power?" she asked.  
"No, I don't. As long as he uses it wisely."  
"Hope he does." She replied.  
"I have to go. Please just do what you were asked to do. We will leave you alone."  
"I don't want you to leave me alone. It's just so painful having to remember the past every time I look at them."  
"Then don't look at them." he said grinning.  
"Very funny, Phoenix!" she said. With that, he disappeared.  
She sighed. She knew she had to move fast before her father could find her and try to stop her. "If it were that easy!" she thought. She sat on the floor and got the things out of the box.  
"Sorry, but I told you it'd be tonight and it's not night yet, so, I'll work on this." she said, knowing she was alone but addressing Phoenix. She studied the files as she waited for the night to fall and hoped that she could find the truth to everything.  
It was night already and the whole gang was at the Crashdown Cafe, waiting for Sean, who had called saying that he couldn't find Leona anywhere. Most of them were worried that she might have been hurt or that she went to a meeting with the Special Unit. Liz was already getting everything ready to close up as she pulled down the screens.  
"Well, Max, it seems she was right. You don't know her enough to assure she wouldn't do something that cruel to us." commented Tess.  
"Tess, there is one part of her we don't know. She has kept secrets from us and that is the part we don't trust. What if she turn us in to the FBI?" replied Max.  
"She's FBI herself. She could ask for back up and we can't afford to kill more people." commented Isabel.  
"I still believe in Leona." said Michael. Maria was besides him with her hand on his shoulder. Max knew that there was nothing he could do or say to make him change his mind. He couldn't believe they were back to the time where they had just met Leona and Michael was arguing with Max all the time about trusting Leona.  
They heard someone knock on the door. It was Sean.  
"Anything?" asked Max.  
"No." replied Sean.  
"What do we do now?" asked Isabel.  
"Have you searched her house?" asked Liz.  
"Yes, but nobody answers the door."  
"She's here." said Michael as if he were in some kind of trance.  
"Who's here?" asked Maria.  
`My parents are in Washington, D.C. At the Bureau." replied a female voice. Everyone turned to see Leona.  
"How did you get in here?" asked Liz, "The door was locked!"  
"Really? are you sure?" she implied as she held a wooden box in her arms.  
"What do you mean your parents are at the Bureau?" asked Max.  
"Relax, Max! My parents are in a meeting about a rape/murder case." she explained. They all just stared at her as she put the box down.  
"What is that?" asked Kyle.  
" Hello to you, too!" she said, "Boy, this is going to be difficult with everyone asking questions." she commented, "Now, Max, are you ready to tell me who was that man you guys killed?"  
"What?" asked Sean, who seemed surprised, "You killed someone?"  
"Yes, and I'm waiting for an answer." replied Leona staring at Max, waiting for his answer.  
"You don't have any right!" said Max, who was now angry.  
"Ok, let's make a deal. You just tell me the name of the man you killed and I will tell you everything there is to know about this big secret of mine you all want to know so badly."  
"How is that of any interest to any of us now?" asked Michael. "How is that going to help us?"  
"Well, I'll give you this: Kivar had a family. He was married and had two children, a boy and a girl. Kivar hated the King, and I'm not talking about Zan, I'm talking about Zan's father. Kivar's daughter fell in love with Zan and Zan loved her back. When Kivar found out, he went crazy and he declared war. So his daughter had to leave Zan and marry someone else to stop the war. Now, did you know that, Zan?"  
Max glared at her in complete and utter surprise when she called him Zan. Everyone was just silent, staring at Leona in disbelief.  
"Deal?" she said indifferently. Max looked at the rest of them, then at Michael, who nodded.  
"How do you know all that?" asked Max.  
"Ay, Dios Mio!" she said looking up, "Max, I'll tell you if you want to make a deal."  
"Hell, no!" yelled Max.  
"Ok." She then opened the box and took out everything that was in there. "Then what is this?" She dropped pictures of them and showed them to him. "My brother sent me this and told me not to open it unless he said so, but now that he's not here, I had to open it.  
This is a journal where he kept everything updated. He stopped writing in it in1998. It has been 3 years. Three years he has been dead. Can you tell me Max, how come my brother has your pictures, your files and this picture in particular?" she said, showing them a picture of a dead man with a silver handprint on his chest. "Max, this is your print, isn't it?"  
"Are you implying I killed that man?"  
"You tell me."  
"How can you do this to us?" asked Isabel, "What have we done to you?"  
"Nothing, but I want to know the whole truth."  
"Do you really want to know the truth?" said Tess without looking at her.  
"Yes."  
"Then...we killed your brother." she replied.  
"Tess!" yelled Max. Everyone was shocked at that moment. Nobody knew what to expect from Leona, but by the looks of it, she didn't seem too happy. Leona didn't expect to hear that.  
"He tried to kill us, Leona. He even shot Kyle. If it weren't for Max, Kyle would be dead now." Tess continued, eyes closed with tears streaming down her cheeks. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was in complete shock. "You can imagine how guilty we all felt afterwards. It kept haunting us, tormenting us. We almost grew completely apart. Two years passed and we still felt the same way. Like humans, we have a conscience." said Tess this time looking at her in the eyes. Leona's eyes were filled with tears.  
"That is not true! My brother wouldn't do something as horrible as that!"  
"He did, Leona." replied Michael, "We had to stop him one way or another."  
"By killing him?" she asked indignant.  
"Welcome to our world." said Michael. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned around and let the tears stream down her cheeks. She turned around to face them. She looked at them and they seemed more nervous than ever.  
"Is this true Kyle? Did my brother shoot you?" she asked, even tough she didn't want to hear the answer. Kyle just nodded. Leona stared at him for a while, then she closed her eyes and more tears ran down her face.  
  
"I can't believe this." she said whispering.  
Liz approached her. Max tried to stop her, but she kept walking until she was before Leona. Liz touched her shoulder and then hugged her. At the same exact moment, they both had flashes from their lives. Liz saw Leona dancing with Zan. She saw her holding a woman's body in her arms. She saw Rath and Ava sitting besides her.  
Leona saw Liz being shot and Max healing her, her first kiss with Max, Liz finding out about Max's destiny with Tess, Liz with future Max. Both girls let go of each other. Liz was confused by those flashes.  
"Who are you?" she asked.  
"Liz, what's wrong?" asked Max.  
"I don't know."  
"I am one of you." she replied, "Half alien and half goddess."  
"What?" Michael gasped in confusion.  
"That's how I know what really happened in the past."  
"Excuse me?" said Kyle.  
"God! This thing is getting really hard to understand." said Sean.  
"I'm...like you...from Antar. I was made by gods and demons...I mean, by evil and good. To make me an Antar's mortal, I had to be born in a mortal's womb, so they chose my mother and here I am. I was born to give the Royal Four some gifts provided by the gods. I was born to protect YOU. At first, they told me that you weren't ready. When you died, they told me to ask my uncle to make clones of you and I did. Soon, Kivar found out about that and my uncle managed to escape with my other uncle who was a soldier. They put you in pods and took a few of our people along with me. I was only 14 years old." She stopped for breath. Her tears kept flowing, falling from her eyes and she wiped them away.  
"The most important parts of everything are you and the Messiah. As a goddess, my job is to protect you and get you out of here safe to lead the war. The Messiah is a human who was brought back to life by the King. In your past lives, you were supposed to have certain powers I didn't give you. First of all, you weren't ready. Second, I was afraid you would use them for evil with everything that was happening. But I think you are ready now and should begin training." she said as if she was finished. Leona's were red from crying, even though she had stopped a while ago.  
"But that happened more than 50 years ago! How come you seem so young?" asked Maria.  
"I was frozen. My uncle used one of his devices to freeze me until you woke up. He also altered my DNA so I could look like a human. I was placed in New York with the other set of the Royal Four. They woke me up when they were 16 years old and I was still 14. I didn't understand their language, but I was a fast learner." she replied. She looked at them. They seemed more confused than ever.  
"We have a lot of questions. But I guess we'll stick to the Messiah first." said Max, "Who is this Messiah person?"  
"The prophecies say the Messiah is a human brought back to life by the King...and...I'm here to look for the Messiah." Leona replied.  
"Do people healed by the King, count here?" asked Liz.  
"Yes. If you are near death and the king heals you, he practically brought you back to life." Leona explained. Liz and Kyle looked at each other worried.  
"Is it supposed to be a girl or a guy?" asked Kyle.  
"The prophecies say a human. They don't say anything about gender." she cleared, then she grew suspicious, "Why do you ask?" she asked and she saw them turn to Max as he replied,  
"I know."  
"You know what?" asked Leona. Max sighed. The prophecies were bothering him.  
"I healed two persons who were near death." Max replied.  
"Who are they?"  
"You are standing in front of them." he replied as he pointed to Kyle and Liz.  
Leona was stunned, but composed herself and asked,  
"Who was first?"  
"Liz." said Isabel, not sure if she was comfortable by the whole thing. Leona looked at Liz, then smiled and tried to approach her but Liz backed away.  
"Don't tell me I'm the Messiah, please!" pleaded Liz.  
"Finally, I have met you." replied Leona as a way to answer.  
"If I were you , I would think it is an honor." commented Maria, trying to comfort her.  
"Well, it isn't for me."  
"They start that way. They get used to it later." Leona said, "Think of it as a way to help our people. You will be our savior."  
"I don't want to do this anymore!" she said, "I'm tired of being the one sacrificing everything I have so the universe can be at peace! I am tired of you who hit me while I'm down and destroy all my hopes! I won't take this anymore."  
"Liz, listen. We just need your help. When this is over, you will have your normal life back. I promise." pleaded Leona.  
"What have you done to me? Destroyed my life taking away the people I love. It's just not fair!" she replied. Max was looking at her confused. He thought she would take the job, but she proved him wrong. She was really tired.  
"If you don't want to do it, don't do it." Max replied. "We'll think of a way to beat them."  
Liz looked at him. A part of her was thankful, but the other part felt guilt.  
"Then, how do you suppose we do this? Alone?" asked Leona.  
"We'll think of something." he replied.  
"But the people included in the prophecies are there for a reason." commented Michael. "They don't choose those people with a flip of a coin."  
"What is the reason here, Michael?" asked Isabel, "What if the prophecies said that she has to die?"  
"The prophecies don't say that. Besides, The Messiah is too valuable for the gods. They`d protect her with everything they have."  
"How do you know she will not die?" asked Tess.  
"That's why you're here: to protect The Messiah." she cleared.  
"I thought that was your job." said Sean, who hadn't talked for a while.  
"No, my job is to protect the Royal Four and get them through this war safe and alive. Protecting The Messiah is the Royal Four's job. They have to keep her alive for the sake of Antar and Earth."  
"Why Earth?" asked Isabel. Leona stopped and sighed.  
"You don't think..." the rest of Maria's sentence trailed off.  
"In case the skins wanted to make the war here." she replied.  
"They can't do that!" said Michael.  
"Don't tell me, tell them. Besides I don't think we are going to convince him to do it on Antar." she said moving from one side to the other.  
"Why not? This is not his planet, he has no right!" yelled Kyle, who seemed more angry than anybody ever saw him.  
"He says that he has a fantasy. He wants all of you, even his parents, to see the King of Antar die...again."  
"What? wait a minute. You don't suppose I have to tell my parents, do you?" asked Isabel with her hands on the table.  
"You don't have to, you won't need to." Leona replied.  
"What if I really die in battle?" Max said with his arms crossed.  
"May you bite your tongue every time you say that, Max Evans!" Leona said indignant. "You are not going to die! You are going home alive!"  
"Where exactly is home?" asked Max. Leona looked at him for a while and then said,  
"Where is your heart now, Max?" After he heard that, he wasn't sure what to answer.  
Everybody fell silent. So much had happened in only two days that they weren't sure if they could understand everything. For them, their destiny was changing and the destiny of two planets were in their hands, even Liz's destiny.  
Liz went up to her room with Maria. Everything she had heard made her upset. As she made it clear, she didn't want to sacrifice any more than she had already sacrificed by changing the future and realizing everything she had lost. Down at the cafe, Kyle was talking to Leona,  
"Once again, the girl I fall for is an alien!" he said almost whispering.  
"Kyle, I'm sorry." she replied, "I meant to tell you but..." she broke off when Kyle interrupted her.  
"Leona, I simply don't care. I love you." he said, holding her face between his hands.  
"You mean...you're in love with me?" she said hopeful.  
"Yes. So much. Like I've never been before. You complete me. You make me happy. You make me special and thanks to you, I`m a whole new person."  
"I love you, too, Kyle!" and then she leaned to kiss him. Suddenly, she had flashes from him, but Kyle didn't seem to get them. Kyle broke off the kiss.  
"I love you... as long as you don't fall in love with Max!" he chuckled.  
"I heard that." Max said looking at him.  
"That is what I wanted, Evans."  
"What? Why did you say that?" asked Leona even more confused, not only by his comment, but because of the flashes.  
"I'll tell you later." he replied.  
"But, why?" she kept asking as Kyle took her to one of the booths and sat with her.  
Maria had come out of Liz's room saying,  
"She's asleep."  
"Good." said Isabel, "She needs it."  
Leona was sitting with Kyle, looking down at her hands. She seemed to be crying and she had her head rested on Kyle`s shoulder. Michael sat with them.  
"I'm sorry you had to know this way."  
"It's ok. At least I know your version of it."  
"Did you think we're lying?" Asked Michael, clearly offended by her statement.  
"It's not that. I think there is something else to it. More like...someone...else."  
"Oh." he said.  
"He wasn't my brother anyway, but he is Mr. Johnson's son. Mr. Johnson is my mother's brother. He is the scientist who made clones of you and altered my DNA. When he arrived, he met a human woman and later married her."  
"So, he's your uncle and Pierce was a hybrid?"  
"Yes." replied Leona, "My other uncle, the soldier, was Nasedo."  
Tess, who was drinking some water, spilled the water out of her mouth when she heard that. They all had heard and they were shocked by the news.  
"Ok, let me get this straight," said Sean, " You are a goddess, half alien, sent to protect these guys and to look for a Messiah. You are Nasedo's and Mr. Johnson's niece."  
"Yes, you got all of that right." she said smiling at him.  
"Thanks, I tried." he replied. Michael was still speechless. Max, Tess and Isabel went to sit with them. Leona resumed to her hands.  
"I can't believe you are Nasedo's niece." said Tess.  
"Well, believe it." she replied.  
"Was he your mother's brother, too?" Isabel asked.  
"Yes, he was. My father was an only child!"  
"I only have one question," said Michael, "Why would Pierce attack us if he was one of us, too?"  
"I don't know, but I don't think the man you killed was Pierce."  
"What?" said Max.  
"Why do you think that?" asked Tess.  
"As I kissed Kyle I saw what happened." she replied.  
"What? You got flashes from me? Why didn't I get them?" asked Kyle.  
"Shut up, Valenti." said Michael, who was trying to get Leona to explain.  
"What do you mean?" asked Isabel ignoring the boys.  
"The real Pierce died 3 years ago. Besides, he has a tattoo on his right hand." Leona replied.  
"What about the other Pierce?" asked Tess.  
"I'm pretty sure it was a shape shifter."  
"But what about the witnesses?" asked Tess, "They said they saw us."  
"There probably weren't any witnesses. The witnesses and the murderer probably are skins. My uncle probably got the news from skins-shape shifter."  
"A plan from Kivar?" asked Isabel.  
"You might right about that." Leona replied.  
"You are brilliant." said Tess smiling to Leona.  
" Well, yeah! Where did you think I got my skills?"  
"FBI." said the gang in unison.  
"Show off!" said Sean in front of her face.  
"Thanks." Leona grinned with pride.  
"But why would Kivar kill Pierce and send a shape shifter in his place?"  
"I don't know, but I'm trying to figure it out." She stood up and took a piece of paper and a pen.  
"Ok, this is what I know," she startedsketching what she had assimilated "9 years ago, Pierce was trying to find you after he got word that you had woken up. He had been in the Special Unit for 6 years trying to locate you because they needed to know if you were safe. He already knew what you looked like because he met the New York set. He had people from Antar looking for you, too. I mean, the ones who escaped the war. One of them must have seen you here and took pictures like the ones I have in the box. My point...he had information about you, locations on where you were, files, etc,...specially about the Granolith. Kivar probably wanted that information to get you and kill you."  
"Then, why didn't he do it as soon as he got the information?" asked Michael.  
"Because, Kivar never got it and Pierce gave me the information before he died. That is, he already knew the Skins were after him for it. So, he gave me the files to keep them safe. They killed him before getting the information out of him. He wouldn't say anything, though."  
"You know? I feel such a relief now." commented Michael, "But I still feel bad about killing someone. Truth to be said, nobody deserves to die like that."  
"Well, whoever it was, he did sure pay hell for everything!" commented Tess.  
"Yeah." said Leona, "But I still don't get one thing..."  
"What?" said Max.  
"How did they find you?" she asked. The gang looked at each other not wanting to answer that. Kyle was just sitting there very calm and waiting for the argument to start. He loved that part.  
"I asked something. Can you guys please tell me what happened?" said Leona, suspicious that the Royal Four knew more than they wanted to let on.  
"They had to wait until we saw our mother's message in the orbs." finished Isabel.  
"Wait a minute," said Leona perplexed, "You activated the orbs?"  
"Yes." replied Max.  
"Didn't my unc...Nasedo...warn you about them?" she asked.  
"Yes, but we didn't listen." replied Michael.  
"And why didn't you listen?"  
"We...we...were curious." said Michael.  
"Curious?"  
"The most important thing is that we are here alive, isn't it? I mean, we made it." said Max, trying to avoid her temperament.  
"Yes, but you got Nasedo killed!" she yelled standing up. "God!! You are just like you were back then, hard headed and stubborn!"  
"We know! And we're sorry, but we didn't think of the consequences, and we wanted to know more of who we were. We had that right!" replied Michael, yelling back  
"Besides, Nasedo wouldn't tell us anything." commented Isabel, "He only told us that Max and Tess were the King and Queen. I was his sister and a Princess, and Michael was best friend and Second in Command, that's all. We wanted to know more but he didn't tell us anything else."  
"But we shouldn't have, not at the expense of our friends' and Nasedo's lives." commented Tess, agreeing with Leona, "We didn't just expose ourselves, but our family and friends. We exposed everyone we cared about." The gang went silent after Tess' comment. Even though the gang tried to prevent anybody from getting hurt, they did. They tried to explain to Leona how they felt about the whole thing, how desperate the felt to get out of a dangerous situation, how disappointed they felt when things didn't turn out all that great for them; everything. Leona was listening through the whole thing.  
"Well, my father always wanted me to be disappointed in you and make me think that you weren't worth the effort and trust." Commented Leona "He got it... at first, but I'm not letting him win again."  
"What does your father have against us?" asked Max.  
"A lot." Leona replied, not looking at him.  
"I guess he is on Kivar's side, isn't he?" said Michael.  
"Can you handle that?" she asked.  
"If you can handle us killing him." he said, even though he meant it as a joke.  
"Well..." she said looking up to the ceiling.  
"Don't tell us your father is a god, too?" commented Isabel  
"Wow! A god married to a mortal!" said Tess sarcastlly, "Didn't think it was possible."  
"No, my father is mortal, he is just mad." she replied trying to hint them into something.  
"So is Kivar." said Maria. trying to get into the conversation.  
"And Liz is going to be so angry if you make her the Messiah." commented Kyle.  
"Kyle, she already is." cleared Sean, "She's just in denial, right?" he said looking at Leona.  
"Right." she replied.  
"You seem to be in the hook more than all of us." commented Max.  
"Well, I try." he replied grinning.  
Everyone started talking about something else besides Kivar and their destiny. For the first time in the night, they felt at ease. Leona started to think about her family and Antar, wondering if this time they could free her people. She had hoped for so long for the time when her planet was free and happy...back to the life they had without Kivar. Maria interrupted their chat saying,  
"There is something I always wanted to know about you guys." she said, referring to Michael, Max, Isabel and Tess.  
"What?" Michael asked.  
"Your Family." she replied. Then they turned to look at Leona, who was busy scratching the table.  
"Leona?" called Max.  
"Huh?" she replied still scratching.  
"Will you stop that and listen to us?" asked Kyle grabbing her hand.  
"Ok, I'm listening." she said, looking at him then at the others. "What do you want to know?"  
"Everything about our families." answered Tess.  
"Everything?" she said perplexed.  
"Everything!" they all said in unison.  
"It's a long story." she warned them.  
"We have all the time in the world." replied Isabel, who was anxious to finally know about her background more deeply.  
"What about your parents?" asked Leona, "Won't they get mad if you get home late?"  
"We'll call them and tell them we are going to stay at your place." explained Max.  
"With what excuse?" she said, even more confused and almost screaming.  
"Because you need company after you knew about your brother, I mean, your cousin." replied Tess.  
"Hey! Let the dead rest in peace!" she said serious.  
"Leona, please, we want you to tell us since you are the only one who knows the whole story." pleaded Isabel. Leona looked around the room as if trying to avoid their eyes. Finally she gave in.  
"Ok, where do you want me to start?" asked Leona.  
"What about Michael's family?" said Maria before anybody could talk.  
Michael felt anxious. All he wanted in his life was to know where he came from and finally, there was someone who could tell them about his family.  
"Are you ready?" asked Leona to Michael. She knew there were some things he wouldn't like about his family and she didn't want to destroy his hopes.  
"Ready as I can be." replied Michael.  
"Well," she started, "Your mother passed away a little while before the war; your father and your sister are still alive. Your mother was a very good hearted lady. Her name was Emerald. When she married your father, her family thought she was crazy and she would reply to them that it was true, she was crazy about him. She always smiled, even on hard times; she helped anybody who needed help. She was beautiful. When she had you, his first son, she knew you were born to do something big, but besides all that, she knew you were born to make your father the proudest father alive. Then, your sister was born and you were bouncing everywhere waiting to see her. As she grew up, you could go anywhere with her, you even took her to the lake after your father told you not to. You were always there for her. You were part of each other. It was so difficult to separate you and some way or another, you were always together. She said she couldn't go anywhere without you because you were the  
smart one and you always knew what to do. Then, one day you joined the Royal army and you had to go. She felt so alone and lost, but you would always meet her at the lake you used to take her without your father knowing."  
"Hey! Your family sound pretty cool, compared to mine." said Kyle.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tess.  
"Nothing really." replied Kyle, retracting from what he had said.  
"Ok, can we hear the rest of the story without you interrupting us?" asked Maria, upset by the interruption.  
"Calm down, Maria! They were trying to be nice." said Michael "What was my sister's name?" he said turning to face Leona.  
"I knew you would ask that." replied Leona smiling, "She was named after her grandmother. You've never met her. Her name was Leona." She let out a slow, long exhale after she finished. Everybody fell silent. Michael was looking at her without blinking. He felt more confused than before. The information was starting to feel unbearable. Sean tried to break the silence.  
"Well..." started Sean, "that's a coincidence, isn't it? That's your name, right?"  
"Yes, Sean. That's my name." she replied.  
"So, that makes you his sister." Kyle completed.  
"Michael?" called Leona.  
"Yes?" he replied without looking at her.  
"Are you ok?" said Leona, concerned that Michael might not want to talk to her after what she said.  
"I don't know. It depends. You just told me that you were my sister." Michael replied turning his sight to her.  
"Is that bad?" she asked, feeling her heart stop, waiting for his answer.  
"No." he finally said, "I...I don't think so." then he grabbed her hand. Leona smiled at him. Then they both turned to look at their friends who seemed to be waiting for something.  
"What?" they both said in unison.  
"No hug?" asked Isabel.  
"Did you have to be that pushy?" asked Michael. Leona slapped him on the arm. "Sorry." he said to Isabel.  
"Apology accepted." she said smiling.  
"What are you waiting for?" asked Max.  
"Ok, first of all, we don't need you to tell us to hug each other; and second, you just spoiled the moment," commented Leona.  
"I'm eager to know the rest of the story of the Guerin family, so please..." said Maria.  
"Ok, Maria, it's just that..." she hesitated.  
"It gets worse, doesn't it?" said Michael, referring to her father, who now could be called their father. Leona nodded.  
"Well, better if you say it now, than let him know from somebody else." commented Kyle. While the others were wondering how much worse it could get, Max was connecting all the dots. He already had an idea of what to expect from there.  
"Ok, your father...I mean, our father, he was an ambitious person. He wanted it all, even though he had his family and the love of his life. He wanted to avenge himself for what the King had done to him, and I don't mean the King Zan. I meant his father. But it got worse when Michael decided to join the Royal army. He even kicked him out of the house for his betrayal. But Michael was pursuing his dreams. My father not only felt betrayed, he also blamed this on the King father." she stopped a while before saying the rest. "My father's rage got even worse when he caught me with Zan in a really compromising position."  
"How compromising?" asked Tess. Max felt he had had enough. He started to understand everything much better now. He didn't like the looks of it, but he remained calm.  
"Um...well...how compromising is kissing?" she said in an apologetic tone.  
"So compromising for your father that you had to leave me and marry someone else to stop the war, but that didn't work so well now, did it?" replied Max.  
"Leona?" called Michael, but she didn't answer. In that exact moment, everyone started to feel awkward. Kyle, Sean and Maria didn't feel like finding out the rest. Specially Kyle.  
"Ok, I think we better go. It's getting a little late." started Sean, feeling uncomfortable. "Maria, let's go. I don't want aunt Amy to get mad at me, so let's go."  
"Ok, just let me get my things." said Maria. As she turned her back she whispered, "Oh my God!"  
Kyle just kept staring at Leona.  
"Kyle, please, don't look at me like that."  
"I just can't believe it." he replied, looking away from her. His heart just broke as soon as he knew that Max and Leona had a past.  
"I was wondering, why does Max get all the girls I want, huh?" he said as he stood up.  
"Kyle, what happened between me and Max was a long time ago. It's in the past. I already told you that I love you...YOU...Kyle, please, you have to believe me!" she said standing up to reach him.  
"And you're just going to ignore your past? What about your `husband?'"  
"No, I just..."  
"You know what? I'll talk to you later, ok?" he said as he got his car keys, "Evans, do you want me to tell my dad about this...?" he broke off as Max replied,  
"I'll tell him."  
"All right." Kyle said and walked off. Leona tried to avoid Max's eyes as much as she could, even though she thought she was going to give in sooner than later.  
"I'm ready." said Maria to Sean, "Good luck, I think you'll need it." she said to Leona patting her on the back while Leona thanked her with a smile. Once Maria, Kyle and Sean were gone, Leona broke the silence.  
"I think you already figured it out, Max," she started, "our father is Kivar."  
Michael didn't take that very well. He stood up and put his hands on his face, then onto his hair. Isabel felt like she was going to break down, while Tess was lost in her thoughts looking at her hands. Max felt angry at that time and couldn't believe that she had waited that long to tell them while the worst was to come.  
"Well, I don't know who is worse, Hank or Kivar, but I think that if I had to decide between one of them, I would've chosen Hank, that's for sure!" commented Michael.  
"I understand." replied Leona.  
"No, you don't understand!" yelled Michael, "You don't understand, because you don't know how disappointed I feel now. After so many years waiting to find out where I come from, I find that my father is our own enemy." he stopped before saying the rest, " God, Leona! I thought... I have always hoped that my father would be the best father in the universe. Now, I wish I had never tried to contact my family or even met you." he stopped after realizing what he had just said. Even though he saw how much he hurt Leona, he didn't apologize for it.  
"Well..." she started, "Michael, I do understand, believe it or not. But the worst of everything is knowing that you can't be with the people you value the most, not doing what you really want to do. I have lived up there. I can still remember vividly all the screams, the cries, the blood on the floor, the anguish, the pain caused by the war, by my father. Then, there was a moment when I hated the blood that runs through my veins, because it was my father's. I wished that I had never fallen in love, because I thought love itself caused that chaos. I even wished that I wasn't even born. But then Michael, I realized that I didn't mean it. As I remembered the things I loved most, the things I used to do with you, the things that made us a family, I missed that. I missed being normal. I love my father because he is the one who brought me here and the life he gave me made me find things beautiful. He may not be a lovable person, but he's a mortal and as a mortal, he's bound to  
make mistakes and he has done a lot of them ever since, but that's the anger talking. I know that he can change if only we give him chance."  
"Leona, how naive can you be?" said Max, not believing what he had just heard.  
"As far as I'm concerned, Kivar is our enemy and he is in no position to change his mind. We know you are just saying that because he is your father and, you know what? We don't care, after all he has done, not only to your family but to us." said Isabel, wanting to avoid eye contact with Leona.  
"And you can't be that forgiving, Leona." said Tess, "Kivar has destroyed thousands, even millions of lives. He has killed. He has lied. He has deceived your family and a thousand things more that I don't care to count."  
"I know." Leona agreed, "I'm not trying make you believe he can change, or to forgive him, for that matter. I'm just telling you how I feel."  
There was a long pause after Leona finished that last statement. As awkward as it felt, nobody dared to speak until Isabel's cell phone rang. Isabel gave the phone to Max to answer it and he checked the caller ID. He talked on the phone with his mother trying to calm her down and telling her that they were staying at Leona's house. Nobody spoke, even after Max hung up. Leona was getting tired of it. She just stood up and went over to the table where she had left the pictures and folders and put them neatly back in the box.  
Then, she just went to get the keys of the car and held the box in her arms. Once she was ready she asked,  
"You coming?" but she saw how everybody hesitated, "I'm not going to kill you unless you really piss me off, if that's what you're worried about."  
Nobody answered her comment and still, she couldn't begin to imagine how angry they felt, but she was worried about Kyle. She looked at them.  
"It seems that cats got your tongues. Give me a call when you're ready to talk and to hear the rest of the story. If you prefer, we can start with your training and I will give you the powers you were destined to have. So, with my conscience at peace, I will leave you here and I'll see you on Monday. Good-bye." as she turned to the door, Michael spoke:  
"Wait! I'll go with you." He felt guilty for what he said and ws trying to make ammends but still didn't know how.  
"Make that two." said Tess "I still want to know who's your husband." she added trying to make things comfortable by teasing  
"I think I got an idea of who he is." said Isabel, following Tess "But as of right now, I'll go with you and keep the guess to myself." Now everybody was waiting for Max to give in. After a while, he said,  
" Well, if everyone is going, I'll go, too. I'm only interested in knowing why our parents hated each other so much." said Max as he stood up.  
"Well, like people say: curiosity killed the cat, eh?" she replied to his comments.Even on the ride home nobody dared to even squeak. Leona was mostly hurt by the way Michael acted when he knew about his father. She was sure that they would get over it, but the hurt would still be there. 


	7. Going back in time

Ok , this chapter will be the last for a while like I mentioned earlier, but not to worry because I'll still work on it, but need time. So, I hope you enjoy this. Bye now!  
  
PART# 7  
  
Once they got into her house, the first thing Leona did was to go to her room and hide the box. Then she came back down, and saw them already in their seats.  
  
"Do you want something to eat or drink?" she asked  
  
"Not for me, thanks" said Max, who seemed tired. The others agreed with him. Leona went to the kitchen and got bottled water out of the refrigerator, while they were waiting for her at the living room.  
  
"I guess if you're going to stay here, I better get everything ready for your sleepover but first of all where do you want to sleep? upstairs in my room or downstairs" Leona commented as she headed for the closet where she kept blankets and sheets.  
  
"I think upstairs sounds good" said Tess .  
  
"Ok, let's go" Leona said carrying the blankets and sheets. Max offered to help her to carry them up. "Thanks" she said as she lead the way up to her room. Once they were in her room she searched in her closet for something to wear for the girls. Then she went to another room, from where she came back carrying some T-shirts and shorts for the guys.  
  
"What's that?" asked Michael when he saw her carrying the clothes.  
  
"These? They're called clothes" she said joking with a big grin in her face. Michael put a face as if saying "Not funny", while the girls were giggling.  
  
"Whose are those?" asked Max after he had chuckled at Leona's joke.  
  
"Finally, the right question" she replied "These are Pierce's" Max, stared at her with a questioning look.  
  
"Are you sure you want us to wear his clothes?" asked Michael, who wasn't too sure what to expect.  
  
"Sure, he'd be honored" she replied smiling "Besides, he won't use them any time soon, will he?" Max and Michael finally took the clothes and changed into them by turns in her bathroom. Then the girls changed their clothes right after the guys were done. Leona couldn't help to say when she saw them:  
  
"A perfect match" she said smiling at them.  
  
"Now, you're creeping me out" replied Michael  
  
"But he looked even more gorgeous in those shorts" she commented  
  
"Are you trying to tell us that you had a crush on your cousin?" asked Max jokingly "What if I had?" she said trying to outsmart him. The gang widened their eyes when she said that, until she gave a loud laugh.  
  
"You should have seen your faces" she said between laughs.  
  
"Now you really creep me out" commented Michael.  
  
After a while they sat in the floor talking about anything but Kivar. Although they didn't want to spoil the moment, they still wanted to know about how everything started. They kept talking for hours, and even though it was getting late they wanted to lay awake all night. Leona didn't like the idea.  
  
"That is what sleepovers are about" commented Isabel.  
  
"I know that" replied Leona "I just though that you'd be tired by now"  
  
"I remember how all of us could stay awake all night and we used to talk without stopping" said Michael.  
  
"The one who talked most was Isabel" said Max "But we don't remember a night when we'd get bored"  
  
"Well, you must have some charm" commented Leona to Isabel.  
  
"Sure, I always had" she said playfully  
  
"It's sure nice to meet somebody who doesn't cut herself short" commented Tess, smiling.  
  
"You don't say" replied Leona to Tess.  
  
"I do say!" Tess replied back, then the girls laughed.  
  
"Well, I think it's time" said Max  
  
"For what?" asked Tess.  
  
"I've been meaning to get to hear the rest of the story" he replied. The rest of the gang looked at him, then at Leona.  
  
"You're right" said Leona "I better go on with it"  
  
Then, she started:  
  
"My mother once fell in love with the King, Zan's father. My father Kivar, was in love with my mother and also the King was his best friend. Both fought for the same girl and my father ended up with her, but that was when my mom was broken hearted by the King and like you guys say, they broke up. The King got word of my mom's new relationship and out of jealously he expulsed him from his army, even though my father was his Second in Command. That gave my father a reason to hate him; he said that the King had destroyed everything he had worked hard for.  
  
Years later, after my brother was born, and the King was already married and with children; he tried to apologize to my father, he said that he had been irrational and foolish. He said that he had changed and that he wanted to be friends with him again. My father's rage grew, he screamed at him and kicked him out of his house. The King got angry at him for that and never tried to talk to him again. As we both grew up, we had always asked ourselves why did our father hated the King but we never dared to ask, not even to our mother.  
  
Then we hit our teens and Michael started to show some interest for the Royal Army and when he talked about it to my father, hoping that he would understand, my father went bersek and said that he rather have him dead than to join the Royal Army; it was obvious that our father still had some issues to take care of. But Rath , I mean, Michael didn`t give up he wanted to be in the Royal Army more than anything else in the world and he said that he was going even if that meant to betray his father. Although he did know that there were going to be some problems for him since he was Kivar`s son, but he had made it clear to the King that he didn`t mean any harm, that he only wanted to be part of it. The good news was that the King accepted him and I remember how proud my mom and I were when we knew that he made it. But our father wasn`t too proud; when he got word of it, they both had a huge fight, yelling at each other. It was horrible, my father went crazy and he had kicked Rath  
out of his own house and warned him to never set foot in the house ever again.  
  
He lived in the Royal house for a while until he found somewhere else to live, but while he lived at the Royal house, Zan had befriended him and made him feel welcome. Then he met Vilandra and I remember him saying how beautiful she was and..."  
  
"Ok, skip that" interrupted Michael.  
  
"Why?, no! go on" said Isabel trying to tease Michael "Let's see what he had to say about the Christmas Nazi" the Michael turned his head to avoid her eyes.  
  
"Christmas Nazi?" asked Leona perplexed.  
  
"Long story. Don't ask" replied Max.  
  
"Well, he did fall in love with her but I guess she didn't share the same feelings. We kept seeing each other at the lake, where we would meet and I'd give him my mom's letters, he'd read them out loud to me. Then one evening at the lake, Michael had invited me to a party the King was throwing.  
  
. He told me that he was serious, that the King wanted to meet me. I almost fainted when I heard that, I told him that I didn't want any problems with my dad, but he insisted telling me that he wasn't planning to leave me alone until I said yes; I gave in, I said yes. I told my mom everything and the first thing she said was that I had to start on planning what to wear. I couldn't believe my ears, then my mom explained why she was ok with it; she told me that I needed to understand that it didn't matter if I was in Royal grounds, that someday, my father had to get over it.  
  
That night, my mom helped me to sneak out, I had a long white dress with long and bell-like sleeves on; I put on my mom's diamond necklace and diamond earrings. Like every mother, my mom said that I looked beautiful, I didn't want to believe that, at least not yet. Rath was waiting for me at the door and kept telling me to calm down. Finally we were at the door. I wanted to escape. The people who were there were looking at me and I didn't like those looks at all, I felt...out of place. The King and the queen had approached me and greeted me. They kept talking how much they were proud of Rath, that they were thinking of making him the future King's second in command. Rath introduced Zan and Vilandra to me and I was all smiles when they greeted me. I talked to them as if I knew them since birth when suddenly I felt the wind brush my cheek and I knew that you were the chosen ones."  
  
She went on.  
  
"Then after a while Rath invited Vilandra to dance, leaving Zan and me alone. We talked, but after a few songs he asked me to dance with him, so we danced and talked at the same time. I could say that I felt something but those were the times when I realized that I couldn't be with him. But he was a rebel, he didn't care and I wasn't too sure that I could afford my dad finding out. The next day, when I went to the lake, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Zan alone, waiting for me. I knew that it was a set up, but it turned out that I had my first kiss with him that same day.  
  
We kept meeting there every day like I used to with Rath, . Those were the days when I realized that I was falling in love with him. Days later he told me that he loved me and I told him that I loved him , too.  
  
After months, Ifound out that my father was getting suspicious and somehow I had to stop having those meetings for a while. But, one day when I thought that it was safe to go one of my father's servants followed me and then after he found me with Zan. The same day, I came back from the lake and my father was expecting me and he told me that he already knew about me and Zan. Even though I tried to explain, he slapped me twice and started to tell me how disappointed and betrayed he felt, then he sent me to my room. I remember how much I cried that night, after that day, my windows and my door was heavily guarded, so I couldn't get out. Days later. my mom told me that my dad wanted to declare war to the King, using as excuse, the land that the King supposedly "stole" from him. I had to make my father stop from doing something that he would regret. I used my powers to sneak out of the house and went to the Royal house. That was the night where I told Zan that we couldn`t see  
each other anymore, but I couldn`t convince him to end our relationship. Then I lied, I lied to him telling him that I didn`t love him, that everything was just a game I made up to hurt his feelings, to make him pay for whatever he did to my father; to get my own revenge on him. I guess that did it because he just yelled at me saying to get out of there. It was the hardest thing I ever did in my short life; I didn`t know if I could handle it. The worst part of it, was that I made Rath believe that I played with Zan`s feelings, after that I didn`t see Rath anymore.  
  
I told my father the same thing I said to Zan and he just told me how proud he was of me. I tried so hard to keep the tears from falling in front of him. Months later I received the news that Zan was getting married with a girl named Ava; also Rtah was getting married with Vilandra the same day. Vilandra sent me an invitation to the wedding along with a letter. Days later, my father introduced me to Nicholas when his plans were to get me married to him and I did. I married Nicholas and I just turned 14 years old at that time"  
  
"Hold it there!" yelled Isabel "What do you mean you got married at 14 and with Nicholas!?"  
  
"You'd be surprised at how different things are in Antar, women get married from 13 and ahead. And about Nicholas...don`t ask" Leona replied and without letting anyone speak she went on:  
  
" Everything went smoothly when fights started in the middle of the streets between my father followers and the new King followers. Some of those people died and the fights started to grow. I grew worried and went for help at the Temple, the gods told me that there wasn't anything else to do, just wait for them to choose another Royal Four, because the ones they had already chosen weren't worth it. I could see why, the new King was careless, and yes I'm talking about Zan. Sometimes he was just plain unfair, he would punish innocent people, he would decide who lived and who died with the flip of a coin. He was tough, but he was also careless. But that wasn't the only thing wrong. In fact everything went very wrong.  
  
One night I saw my mom crying. I asked what was wrong, she didn't want to tell me. Next thing I knew she ran away and I didn't know where she had gone, my father went out looking for her but came back with nothing. The next night, I felt my mom calling for help. I went to the lake where I felt her, but I was too late. I found her at the floating in the lake, dead. I dived to pull her to the shore and I saw in her neck a silverhand print. I realized that she was killed. My father was there with me along with a handful of people, then another handful came to the shore yelling at us between them was Zan, Ava, his wife; Vilandra and Rath. That's when my father started to blame it on one of Zan's people and all of them started to yell at each other. Then I lost it, I made them stop by making the floor shake and open up, and big thunder bolts aimed at the trees. Everyone fell silent, at that moment nobody knew that I was the one who made those effects, they thought that it was the  
gods, who were angry at them; well, I was. That's when I placed a curse upon the one who dared to start a fight which in the future was to become the greatest war Antar had ever seen, and the one who starts it will die along with their families. It was the worst mistake I ever did, I did it out of anger, although I did wish to put the curse on the one who killed my mother.  
  
Later it turned out that Vilandra, Nicholas and my father were plotting against the Royal Family. Vilandra had tricked Zan to believe that my father killed one of his people and that made him start the war. I didn't know then that Nicholas was on it until I caught him with Vilandra in bed.I remember that night so well and I could describe the pain, the frustration, the betrayal, everything! I was so hurt and felt like killing myself. I also remember running that night amd him yelling at me. Just before I reached the door he was saying that my father was also sleeping with her even before my mother died. I couldn't believe what he had said, I stopped running to face him and told him that I didn't believe him. He had Vilandra say it to me and I felt like my whole world was destroyed and I walked away from them. When I opened the door asking myself what else could go wrong, I saw Zan at the door. I had opened the door before he knocked and one of his soldiers aimed at me and  
shot me. That's when Zan saw Vilandra and started to ask her for an explanation. Rath saw me at the floor when I was trying to get up and helped me. My father then appeared with Ava grabbed by one of his soldiers, she was crying in horror, pleading to my father to leave them alone. I saw how she really loved Zan and I saw in his eyes how worried he was, that my father would hurt her. It was horrible how things were getting and all the screams that came from outside of the people who was getting killed. As my blood shed on the floor from my stomach I realized the price the people got to pay because of hate. I told Rath to get me to the lake but he refused to get me there, he thought that I was trying to die in the same place my mom had. So, I had to go alone, I fired a beam of fire at the soldiers who were guarding the door and I escaped, I went through a shortcut trying to avoid the places where people were killed. But it turned out that they were everywhere, I saw the  
people on the floor, dead; and heard the cries of children and women getting killed. Even the sacred forest was full of bodies and the lake was red from the blood. I cried at the sight of it; I couldn't get through the lake without looking down at the red water. Finally I made it to the Temple and I pleaded the gods to help me stop the masacre , but they told that there was nothing they could do. As Malik was tending my bruises, they showed me how Zan, Ava and Rath were killed. I couldn't believe that Nicholas had the guts to kill my brother, even though he feared Rath. Vilandra took care of killing Ava, while my father killed Zan.  
  
A few days later I was still inside the Temple and word got around that Vilandra was killed by the King followers. Then, my father went to the Royal house to kill the King father but the Queen luckily escaped with some of her loyal servants, even though he refused to leave her husband. When the King father was killed, it was official, my father made himself the new King and even since, he enslaved his opponents and killed the ones who dared to stand up against him. I wasn't glad to leave Antar, not only for my father but for the people I left suffering from his injustice. I haven't seen him since, only I saw Nicholas."  
  
Everyone kept silent after her story. Then Isabel spoke:  
  
"What about our mother?" asked Isabel "Is she alive?"  
  
"Yes, she is alive" she replied smiling at Isabel "But she's still in Antar, she refuses to leave even for her own sake"  
  
"Have you seen her?" asked Max  
  
"Yes, I have" she replies "some of our people tries to convince her to come here"  
  
"I can understand why she doesn't want to leave Antar" says Tess.  
  
"What if Kivar tries to kill her?" asked Max  
  
"We have the best soldiers taking care of her but I don't know how long can they hold on" replied Leona "If it makes you feel any better, Kivar doesn't know where she is"  
  
"He can track her down, as easily as he could track us" commented Tess  
  
"But he doesn't care about her, he cares about the Granilith and he wants you dead" replied Leona.  
  
"Well, we can hope for the best" said Isabel. In that moment, the phone rang. Leona looked at the phone confused before picking it up.  
  
"Who in his right mind calls at 3 o'clock in the morning?" said Max as confused as everybody was. Leona picked the phone up.  
  
"Hello...No, Tyr is not here...Phillana is that you?...yes, it's me Leona, how are you?...what?...you're kidding me, right?...are you sure she wants to do that?...she said that?...well, that's great!...I'm alone here...Tyr is in Washington at the Bureau...when is she coming?...what? why didn't you call before?...oh...sorry...well, it will take me a while to get there...hell, no!! I'm not going to orb my way to there!...ok, ok, I'll do it...yes, I'll be there." she hangs up. Then she turns around to face the gang.  
  
"What?" said Isabel "Who was it?"  
  
"I have good news" she replied "Max, Isabel, your mom is coming here...to Earth."  
  
The gang looked surprised at each other. Max was still confused by the whole thing; Isabel felt happy but terrified at the same time. Not any of them knew how to react, but they knew that meeting someone from their past, would change their life, forever. 


End file.
